Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
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Gastropericardial fistula is generally associated with benign gastric diseases and is an uncommon complication of gastric adenocarcinoma. Pericarditis and cardiac tamponade are the ultimate outcome, with extremely high mortality rates. We report a 47-year-old man with gastric adenocarcinoma who had completed radiotherapy and was on scheduled chemotherapy, who presented with fever and chest pain. ⋯ Total parenteral nutrition and antifungal therapy were administered. The patient refused surgical intervention and survived with medical management alone. This case demonstrates that first, panendoscopy may be safely performed in patients with gastropericardial fistula without significant risk of cardiac tamponade; second, although early diagnosis of gastropericardial fistula is generally important, delayed recognition may not lead to devastating outcomes even in the absence of surgical intervention.