A Case of Primary Leiomyosarcoma of the Heart.

Abstract

A 53-year-old male was hospitalized with complaints of cough, fever and backache. Two dimensional echo-cardiography showed a pericardial echo-free space and a mass in the right atrium. Based on the MRI findings showing a pericardial mass originating from the atrial tumor, the final diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma was made by a percutaneous pericardial biopsy. Despite various therapies, the patient died after 3 wk. Because of its rareness (to date only 25 case reports), a premortem diagnosis of primary cardiac leiomyosarcoma is generally difficult. However, we feel that MRI and a subsequent biopsy is quite useful for making an early diagnosis of this disease. (Internal Medicine 31: 265-268, 1992)

Primary cardiac leiomyosarcoma: An analysis of clinical characteristics and outcome patterns

“…11,[19][20][21][22][23][24] Nonspecific systemic symptoms such as fatigue, malaise, fever, sweating, asthenia, and weight loss were reported in 19 (29.7%) cases. 3,13,17,[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] Only 3 patients were asymptomatic. [37][38][39] PCLMS predominately arose from the left atrium (59.5%, 47/79).…”

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the heart subsequent to double carcinomas of the thyroid and lung

“…3 There have been few reports in the literature and the total number of primary cardiac leiomyosarcomas approaches only 37. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] The clinical diagnosis of cardiac sarcoma is difficult because the symptoms are insidious and nonspecific. For most patients symptoms start with dyspnea, followed by cough, chest pain, palpitation, general malaise, and weight loss.…”

Cardiac Masses

“…Leiomyosarcomas of the inferior and superior vena cava may directly involve the right atrium. Primary cardiac leiomyosarcomas are usually located in the atria and may invade the pericardium (Takamizawa et al 1992). Cardiac Kaposi's sarcoma has been found in patients with AIDS and in immunosuppressed organ transplant recipients (Lanza et al 1983;Raaf and Raaf 1994).…”