Cardiac Tamponade of Neoplastic Origin: A Diagnostic Challenge

Cardiac tamponade is a slow or rapid compression of the heart that leads to high mortality rates depending on the etiology. Clinical signs include elevated jugular venous pressure, hypotension, tachycardia and paradoxical pulse. Therefore, a clinical case of cardiac tamponade secondary to metastasis is presented. A 57-year-old woman began her condition with progressive dyspnea with daily activities, non-productive cough, hypotension and tachycardia, global cardiomegaly on chest X-ray and massive pericardial effusion on echocardiogram, and cardiac tamponade. Pericardiocentesis was performed and a left lung lesion was evident on chest CT. Due to recurrence of tamponade, a pathological study was performed that showed metastasis of adenocarcinoma of pulmonary origin. The formation of neoplastic fluid occurred when chemotherapy was applied. Addressing critical aspects of pericardial disease, including diagnosis and differential diagnosis, could improve life expectancy predictions for patients with oncological pathologies.