[Cardiac tamponade as clinical manifestation of neoplastic process: presentation of 11 cases and review of the literature].

We analyse the clinical presentation of pericardial effusion in patients with malignancy. The diagnostic sensibility of cytology of the pericardial effusion, current management strategies, recurrences and survival are considered. Retrospective single centre study (Fundación Jiménez Díaz). Eleven patients with malignant pericardial effusion (period: 1992-1996). The most frequent symptom was dyspnea (100%); echocardiogram accuracy was 100% and the sensitivity of pericardial cytology 64%. 73% of all effusions were adenocarcinomas (87.5% of the lung). Pericardiocentesis was practised in 73% patients. Survival did not improve when adding radiotherapy, using local sclerotherapy or surgical pericardial windows (pericardiotomy (medium survival of 109 days). Those patients who died did not develop symptoms of hemodynamic clinical emergency. Prognostic of malignant cardiac tamponade is closely related to the extent of disease and its sensitivity to treatment.