A rare cause of chest pain in a cancer patient

It is well known that cancer and hypercoagulability go hand in hand. Most thromboembolism is venous in nature although arterial thrombosis can occur. Arterial thrombosis secondary to malignancy is usually seen in the lower extremities; however, it can also be seen elsewhere. This is a case of bronch...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Karim Welaya, Kabir Yousuf, Maria del Pilar Morales
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Greater Baltimore Medical Center 2016-04-01
Series:Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.jchimp.net/index.php/jchimp/article/view/30827/pdf_111
Description
Summary:It is well known that cancer and hypercoagulability go hand in hand. Most thromboembolism is venous in nature although arterial thrombosis can occur. Arterial thrombosis secondary to malignancy is usually seen in the lower extremities; however, it can also be seen elsewhere. This is a case of bronchogenic carcinoma with no history of typical atherosclerotic risk factors including smoking, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia presented with chest pain and was found to have an acute ST segment elevation myocardial infection. Coronary angiography showed a large thrombus in the left anterior descending artery in the absence of any atherosclerotic lesions. Malignancy is considered to be the major contributing factor for this myocardial infarction in the absence of both atherosclerotic risk factors and atherosclerotic lesions in the coronary angiography. We will focus on the relationship between cancer and thrombosis with special emphasis on arterial thromboembolism with subsequent development of myocardial infarction.
ISSN:2000-9666