A 66-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department with complaints of shortness of breath and swelling in legs. He was diagnosed with angiosarcoma of the heart. The patient died despite receiving maximal supportive therapy.
A 66-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department with complaints of shortness of breath and swelling in the legs. According to the patient, the symptoms had appeared 4 days ago. In addition tho this, the patient also reported that he often felt fatigued and had lost 15-kgs of weight recently.
To evaluate the patient, a transthoracic echocardiogram was performed which showed a mass in the right atrium, infiltrating the pericardium. Similarly, a computed tomography of the chest was performed which also visualised the mass. To check for any metastasised lesion, a 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography was performed. However, there were no lesions evident.
The lesion was biopsied and the histopathological analysis of the lesion was consistent with the diagnosis of high-grade angiosarcoma.
Angiosarcoma
Angiosarcoma is a rare type of cancer of the soft tissue that develops in the supporting tissues in the body. Angiosarcoma grows from the cells that make up the blood vessel walls. Most tumours that begin in the heart are benign (non cancerous).
The patient underwent tumour debulking and was referred for adjuvant chemotherapy. However, despite receiving maximal supportive therapy, the patient developed hemodynamic instability and died in the intensive care unit. After the patient’s death, an autopsy was performed which showed an extensive infiltration of the tumour into the epicardium.
References
Pazhenkottil, A. P., & Bode, P. K. (2020). Angiosarcoma Involving the Heart. New England Journal of Medicine, 382(9), 855-855.
