ecancermedicalscience

Case Report

Primary cardiac angiosarcoma diagnosed in the first trimester of pregnancy

9 Apr 2019
Ethan A Burns, Amna Ahmed, Anusha Sunkara, Usman Khan, Roozbeh Sharif, Maen Abdelrahim, Michael Reardon, Barry Trachtenberg

Primary cardiac angiosarcoma (PCAS) is a malignancy seldom seen in pregnancy. A 23-year-old G1P0 Chinese female was found to have PCAS during her first trimester when she presented with tamponade physiology. The transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) results did not indicate the presence of an intracardiac lesion, and pericardial fluid cytology analysis showed no evidence of malignancy. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) exhibited a right atrial mass, and tissue biopsy indicated a high-grade angiosarcoma. MRI of the abdomen was suggestive of liver metastasis. She underwent an abortion and was started on combination chemotherapy, with a reduction in both the cardiac and liver masses. In cardiac angiosarcomas, advanced imaging modalities such as MRI should be utilised when there is high clinical suspicion or in the case of pregnancy when trying to minimise foetal harm. Prognosis is poor, and a standardised treatment protocol regardless of pregnancy continues to elude the medical community.

Related Articles

Bennani Mechita Nada, Messaoud Sara, Elboukhari Elmamoun Yousra, Amina Kili, El Khorassani Mohammed, Lakhrissi Mariam, Isfaoun Zineb, El Ansari Naoual, Razine Rachid, Obtel Majdouline, El Kababri Maria, Hessissen Laila
Ally H Mwanga, Erick M Mbuguje, Jeanine Justiniano, Balowa Musa, Nashivai Kivuyo, Daniel W Kitua, Eva Uiso, Andrew Swallow, Edith Kimambo, Azza Naif, Deogratius B Mwanakulya, Swaleh Pazi, Advera Ngaiza, Seif Wibonela, Behnam Shaygi, Cameron E Gaskill
Eduardo Cazap, Benjamin O Anderson, Giuseppe Curigliano, Sandeep Sehdev, Fatima Cardoso, Ana Rita Gonzalez, Emad Shash, Cheng-Har Yip, André Mattar, Yanin Chavarri-Guerra, Miriam Mutebi, Yongmei Yin, João Victor Rocha, Ilaria Lucibello, Namita Srivastava