Concomitant intramyocardial and epicardial vasculitis in an autopsied heart allograft for cardiac rhabdomyosarcoma

Identification Of Actionable Genetic Targets In Primary Cardiac Sarcomas

BACKGROUND

Primary cardiac tumors are extremely rare; most are myxomas with a benign prognosis. However, primary sarcomas are highly aggressive and treatment options are limited. Radical surgery is often not feasible and conventional therapies provide only modest results. Due to the rare nature of primary cardiac tumors, there are no proper randomized studies to guide treatment. Their complexity requires alternative approaches in order to improve treatment efficacy.

METHODS

We isolated DNA from 5 primary cardiac sarcomas; the quality of DNA from 3 of them was sufficient to perform high-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array analysis.

RESULTS

In the present study, molecular karyotyping revealed numerous segmental chromosomal alterations and amplifications affecting actionable genes that may be involved in disease initiation and/or progression. These include chromosomal break flanking AKT2 in undifferentiated pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma, chromosomal break in promoter of TERT, and gain of CDK4 and amplification of MDM2 in inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor. We detected segmental break flanking MOS in high-grade myxofibrosarcoma. In addition, the high number of chromosomal aberrations in high-grade myxofibrosarcoma may cause multiple tumor-specific epitopes, supporting the study of immunotherapy treatment in this type of aggressive tumor.

CONCLUSION

Our results provide a genetic rationale that supports an alternative, personalized therapeutic management of primary cardiac sarcomas.

Extensive cardiac allograft vasculitis and concurrent fat necrosis 6 years after orthotopic heart transplantation

Coronary artery vasculitis has been described as a rare lesion in the spectrum of transplant vasculopathy or as an extension of severe acute cellular rejection. We describe a patient, 6 years after orthotopic cardiac transplantation, who developed rapid heart failure and died despite aggressive treatment, minimal cardiac rejection (ISHLT Grade 1R), and no known transplant vasculopathy. Autopsy showed a diffuse and essentially complete necrotizing vasculitis of the entire coronary vasculature involving small, medium and large vessels, with extensive fat necrosis within the pericardial space. Macrophages of the M2 phenotype were found lining the major coronary vascular lumens and infiltrating their walls. The presence of the M2 macrophage phenotype supports transplant vasculitis as part of the chronic transplant vasculopathy continuum.