# Multiple cardiac complications due to sepsis and cardiac metastasis of a sarcomatoid urothelial cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder: A case report

## TL;DR

A rare and aggressive bladder cancer metastasized to the heart, causing fatal complications in a 71-year-old man.

## Contribution

This case report highlights the rare occurrence of cardiac metastasis from sarcomatoid urothelial cell carcinoma.

## Key findings

- Sarcomatoid urothelial cell carcinoma can metastasize to the heart, leading to cardiogenic shock.
- The patient's autopsy revealed metastasis in multiple tissues, including cardiac, spinal, and peritoneal regions.
- The rarity of this cancer variant complicates clinical trials and treatment strategies.

## Abstract

Of all malignancies, urinary bladder cancer is one of the most diagnosed ones. Majority of the patients with bladder cancer have a non-muscle invasive type that can be treated with conservative approaches. The sarcomatoid urothelial cell carcinoma is rare and aggressive tumour that can develop in the urinary bladder, ureter or kidney. Hereby, we present a patient that developed a cardiogenic shock due to a large cardiac metastasis of a sarcomatoid urothelial cell carcinoma.

A seventy-one year old male was presented at our Emergency Department with complaints/ signs of dyspnoea, low blood pressure, tachycardia/atrial fibrillation, diarrhoea and general malaise. Trans Thoracic Echocardiography (TTE) was performed which showed a mass in the left ventricle suspect of malignant origin. After five days of hospital admission the patient died due to refractory shock. Autopsy reports showed extensive cardiac, spinal, peritoneal, peripheral fat and muscle tissue metastasis, due to the sarcomatoid urothelial cell carcinoma.

Urothelial carcinomas are one of the most common urinary cancers of which sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma is a rare, highly malignant and very aggressive type. The low incidence of this variant inhibits the conduct of randomised clinical trials and makes clinical management difficult.

Due to its aggressive growth rate sarcomatoid urothelial cell carcinoma have a high probability of metastasizing, however cardiac metastasis are very rare.

•Of all malignancies, urinary bladder cancer is one of the most diagnosed ones.•Majority of the patients with bladder cancer have a non-muscle invasive type.•The sarcomatoid urothelial cell carcinoma is rare and aggressive tumour that can develop in the urinary bladder, ureter or kidney.•The low incidence of this variant inhibits the conduct of randomised clinical trials.•Due to its aggressive growth rate sarcomatoid urothelial cell carcinoma have a high probability of metastasizing

Of all malignancies, urinary bladder cancer is one of the most diagnosed ones.

Majority of the patients with bladder cancer have a non-muscle invasive type.

The sarcomatoid urothelial cell carcinoma is rare and aggressive tumour that can develop in the urinary bladder, ureter or kidney.

The low incidence of this variant inhibits the conduct of randomised clinical trials.

Due to its aggressive growth rate sarcomatoid urothelial cell carcinoma have a high probability of metastasizing