Primary pleomorphic malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the heart

Primary Cardiac Osteosarcoma

BACKGROUND

Primary cardiac osteosarcoma is extremely rare. There is no cohort study on such tumours to date. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcome patterns of such tumours.

METHODS

A thorough literature review was performed, and all relevant clinical items were collected. A total of 53 cases of primary cardiac osteosarcoma were enrolled in this study, including 25 males and 28 females.

RESULTS

The age at diagnosis ranged from 14 to 77 years with a mean age of 43.6 years. The clinical manifestations, imaging features, and laboratory tests of the primary cardiac osteosarcomas were similar to other types of primary cardiac tumours. Sex, tumour size and adjunctive chemo-radiotherapy were found to affect the overall survival pattern.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study may provide an effective consultation for the diagnosis and treatment of this tumour.

Interleukin-8-producing primary cardiac undifferentiated sarcoma in a child with sustained fever

We report the case of a 12-year-old boy with primary undifferentiated sarcoma of the left atrium. He had sustained fever during the clinical course and multiple lung and brain metastases. Chemotherapy and irradiation were ineffective; he died 41 days after hospitalization. On retrospective analysis, interleukin-8 (IL-8) was elevated; this was supported by immunohistochemistry and gene expression analysis of tumor samples. IL-8 continued to increase with tumor progression accompanied by elevated neutrophil count and C-reactive protein. IL-8 is involved in malignant tumor proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis and may have been related to the clinical condition and prognosis in the present case.

Incremental value of live/real time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography over the two-dimensional technique in the assessment of primary cardiac malignant fibrous histiocytoma

We describe a case of primary cardiac malignant fibrous histiocytoma where live/real time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography added incremental value to the two-dimensional modalities. Specifically, the three-dimensional technique allowed us to delineate the true extent and infiltration of the tumor, to identify characteristics of the tumor mass suggestive of its malignant nature, and to quantitatively assess the total tumor burden.

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

BACKGROUND

Primary cardiac leiomyosarcoma is an extremely rare entity. There is no accumulated knowledge about the clinical characteristics and therapeutic strategies for this tumor. This study aimed to systematically review the available literature to investigate the clinicoradiologic and clinicopathologic characteristics, treatment, and outcomes in patients with primary cardiac leiomyosarcoma.

METHODS

We identified 79 instances derived from 72 unique reports and carefully analyzed all clinical presentations, imaging, pathology, treatments, and outcomes.

RESULTS

The mean age at onset was 48 years. A symptom of obstruction was the most frequent complaint at diagnosis. Routine imaging methods such as echocardiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging had high sensitivity in diagnosis. The tumor has a poorer life expectancy than its counterparts in other sites. The 5-year overall survival and recurrence-free survival rates were 25.4% and 14.7%, respectively. Overall survival was affected by age, surgery, and adjunctive chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that primary cardiac leiomyosarcomas tend to be biologically more aggressive compared to their counterparts in other sites. However, complete resection and adjunctive chemotherapy or radiotherapy may help to increase the life expectancy.