Medicina (Aug 2024)

Cardiac Angiosarcoma in the Right Atrium Treated by Surgical Resection

  • Milica Dragicevic-Antonic,
  • Ljiljana Rankovic-Nicic,
  • Gordana Stamenkovic,
  • Masa Petrovic,
  • Goran Loncar,
  • Nikola Markovic,
  • Ana Dimitrijevic,
  • Sulin Bulatovic,
  • Milan Cirkovic,
  • Branislava Borzanovic,
  • Zelimir Antonic,
  • Maja Pirnat,
  • Robert Manka,
  • Milovan Bojic

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60081321
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 60, no. 8
p. 1321

Abstract

Read online

We present the case of a 49-year-old female of Caucasian European descent with chest tightness, fatigue, and palpitations, ultimately diagnosed with primary intracardiac angiosarcoma. Initial echocardiography revealed a significant mass within the right atrium, infiltrating the free wall. Surgical intervention included tumor excision and partial resection of the superior vena cava. Histopathological examination confirmed a high-grade angiosarcoma. Postoperative imaging identified a recurrent mass in the right atrium, suggestive of thrombus, alongside Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Considering the elevated surgical risks and the presence of cardiomyopathy, management included anticoagulation therapy with Warfarin and adjuvant chemotherapy with Paclitaxel. Follow-up cardiac magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a recurrent angiosarcoma with superimposed thrombus. This case presents the complex diagnostic and therapeutic landscape of angiosarcoma, highlighting the critical importance of early surgical intervention, advanced imaging techniques, and vigilant postoperative monitoring.

Keywords