[Cardiac tamponade as the first clinical manifestation of squamous cell carcinoma].

The case concerns a 56 year old male with the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma, which clinically presented as a rapidly increasing cardiac tamponade. The patient underwent a pericardio-centesis. Due to the expansion of the process within the bronchus, the patient underwent chemotherapy according to the Taxol + Carboplatine scheme. After 8 months of treatment the patient was hospitalized again due to a further increase in fluid in the pericardium, and symptoms of cardiac insufficiency which lead to patient death. Autopsy revealed neoplastic change within the pericardium (fibrinous-hemorrhagic pericarditis and hemopericardium). Cardiac tumors occur rarely, they may be primary or secondary. Squamous cell carcinoma metastases may be the cause of pericardial effusion, which is associated with poor prognosis.