Cardiac Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor (PNET) with Metastasis at Presentation

Abstract

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET) are rare tumors and PNET of cardiac origin are extremely rare, with only 6 cases reported since 1996. Cardiac PNET cases have been associated with poor prognosis with extensive metastasis at presentation, and warrant aggressive treatment.We present a 19-year-old male patient who presented with headache and falls; workup demonstrated cerebellar lesions which were resected and noted to be metastatic PNET, and his preoperative transthoracic echocardiography showed an irregular cardiac mass protruding into the interventricular septum which was later identified as the primary malignant mass. Despite the mass being of the cardiac primary origin, he did not have cardiac symptoms until 15 months after his initial symptoms.