Cardiac tumors and sudden death

Excerpt

An 82-year-old man, who had a history of a gastrectomy approximately 2.5 years previously for a primary adenocarcinoma, was admitted to hospital with a short history of dull epigastric pain and decreased appetite. Histology of the primary tumor had shown a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach with serosal involvement. Although the patient had declined chemotherapy, a CT scan of the abdomen 2 years later had not shown any evidence of recurrence. On examination no specific abnormalities were noted and the pain spontaneously subsided. However, unexpected cardiac arrest followed which did not respond to resuscitation. …