Angiosarcoma of the right atrium masquerading as recurrent pulmonary embolism.
Primary cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare tumor that may present with features mimicking venous thromboembolic disease, making the diagnosis particularly challenging. Without a high index of suspicion, the majority of cases will remain undetected until the disease is advanced. As a result, the outlook for most patients remains dismal even with aggressive multimodality treatment. We report a case of angiosarcoma masquerading as recurrent pulmonary embolism successfully treated by radical surgery and adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy.
O'Callaghan
D S
DS
Department of Cardiology, Respiratory Medicine and Cardiothoracic Surgery, St. James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. dsocallaghan@yahoo.com
Breen
D P
DP
Young
V
V
D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006322:Heart Aneurysm; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006394:Hemangiosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012008:Recurrence