The diagnostic challenge of pulmonary tumour thrombotic microangiopathy as a presentation for metastatic gastric cancer: a case report and review of the literature

Fatal pulmonary tumour thrombotic microangiopathy in patient with ovarian adenocarcinoma: review and a case report

Background

Pulmonary tumour thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a fatal disease in which tumour cells embolize to the pulmonary vasculature leading to pulmonary hypertension and right heart failure. Early diagnosis is essential for timely treatment which can reduce intimal pulmonary vascular proliferation and prolong survival, improve the symptoms. Due to rare occurrences and no clear diagnostic guidelines the disorder usually is found post-mortem. We present a review of this rare disease and a case of post-mortem diagnosed pulmonary tumour thrombotic microangiopathy in a young female.

Case presentation

51 years old woman presented with progressively worsening dyspnea, right ventricular failure signs and symptoms. Computerized tomography denied pulmonary embolism. 2D transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated right ventricle dilatation and dysfunction, severely increased systolic pulmonary pressure. Right heart catheterization revealed pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension with mean pulmonary artery pressure of 78 mmHg, pulmonary wedge pressure of 15 mmHg, reduced cardiac output to 1.78 L/min with a calculated pulmonary vascular resistance of 35 Wood units, and extremely low oxygen saturation (26%) in pulmonary artery. Because of worsening ascites, pelvic magnetic resonance imaging was performed, tumours in both ovaries were diagnosed. Due to the high operative risk, detailed tumour diagnosis surgically was not established. The patient developed progressive cardiorespiratory failure, unresponsive to optimal heart failure drug treatment. A postmortem morphology analyses revealed tumorous masses in pre-capillary lung vessels, right ventricle hypertrophy, ovary adenocarcinoma.

Conclusions

An early diagnosis of PTTM is essential. Most cases are lethal due to respiratory failure progressing rapidly. Patients with a history of malignancy, symptoms and signs implying of PH should be considered of having PTTM. If detected early enough, combination of chemotherapy with specific PH therapy is believed to be beneficial in reducing intimal proliferation and prolonging survival, along with improving the symptoms.

Pulmonary Tumor Embolism and Pulmonary Tumor Thrombotic Microangiopathy Causing Rapidly Progressive Respiratory Failure: A Case Series

Pulmonary tumor embolism (PTE) and pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) are rare etiologies for rapidly progressive dyspnea in the setting of undiagnosed metastatic cancer. They occur most frequently in association with adenocarcinomas, with PTE being most frequently associated with hepatocellular carcinoma and PTTM being most commonly reported with gastric adenocarcinoma. Pulmonary tumor embolism and PTTM appear to be a disease spectrum where PTTM represents an advanced form of PTE. Pulmonary tumor embolism and PTTM are mostly identified postmortem during autopsy as the antemortem diagnosis remains a clinical challenge due to the rapidly progressive nature of these rare diseases. We report 2 cases of rapidly progressive respiratory failure leading to death, due to tumoral pulmonary hypertension resulting from PTE and PTTM, diagnosed postmortem. Both of the patients were middle-aged females, nonsmokers, and had a gastrointestinal source of their primary malignancy.

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy presenting as recurrent syncope

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy is a rare condition in which embolization of tumor cells to the pulmonary arterioles causes fibrocellular intimal thickening and activation of the coagulation cascade resulting in pulmonary hypertension and right heart failure. Herein, we highlight a young 35-year-old male with no known past medical history who presented with recurrent syncope and dyspnea, and was found to have severe right heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. He developed sudden clinical deterioration and died after a cardiac arrest. Autopsy revealed poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma and pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy. New onset severe pulmonary hypertension and right heart failure without any other obvious etiology should encourage the reader to evaluate for pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy and undergo a diligent search for underlying malignancy. This case highlights recurrent syncope as a rare presentation of this rapidly fatal disease.

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy: a systematic review

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a fatal disease process in which pulmonary hypertension (PH) develops in the setting of malignancy. The purpose of this study is to present a detailed analysis of cases of PTTM reported in literature in the hopes of achieving more ante-mortem diagnoses. We conducted a systematic review of currently published and available cases of PTTM by searching the term “pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy” on the Pubmed.gov database. Seventy-nine publications were included consisting of 160 unique cases of PTTM. The most commonly reported malignancy was gastric adenocarcinoma (94 cases, 59%). Cough and dyspnea were reported in 61 (85%) and 102 (94%) cases, respectively. Hypoxemia was reported in 96 cases (95%). Elevation in D-dimer was noted in 36 cases (95%), presence of anemia in 32 cases (84%), and thrombocytopenia in 30 cases (77%). Common findings on chest computed tomography (CT) included ground-glass opacities (GGO) in 28 cases (82%) and nodules in 24 cases (86%). PH on echocardiography was noted in 59 cases (89%) with an average right ventricular systolic pressure of 71 mmHg. Common features of PTTM that are reported across the published literature include presence of dyspnea and cough, hypoxemia, with abnormal CT findings of GGO, nodules, and mediastinal/hilar lymphadenopathy, and PH. PTTM is a universally fatal disease process and this analysis provides a detailed examination of all the available published data that may help clinicians establish an earlier diagnosis of PTTM.

Pulmonary Tumor Thrombotic Microangiopathy Mimicking Inhalation Lung Injury

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a complication characterized by dyspnea, pulmonary hypertension, and occasionally sudden death. We encountered a man who developed PTTM and had an inhalation history of chemical herbicides and abnormal findings on chest computed tomography, mimicking chemical inhalation lung injury. He was diagnosed with PTTM with adenocarcinoma by a transbronchial lung biopsy and received chemotherapy and anticoagulant therapy. He survived for one month. An autopsy revealed primary gastric cancer with PTTM that can have a presentation similar to diffuse pulmonary diseases, including chemical inhalation lung injury. The examination of a biopsy specimen is crucial in such patients.

Tumoral pulmonary hypertension

Tumoral pulmonary hypertension (PH) comprises a variety of subtypes in patients with a current or previous malignancy. Tumoral PH principally includes the tumour-related pulmonary microvascular conditions pulmonary tumour microembolism and pulmonary tumour thrombotic microangiopathy. These inter-related conditions are frequently found inpost mortemspecimens but are notoriously difficult to diagnoseante mortem. The outlook for patients remains extremely poor although there is some emerging evidence that pulmonary vasodilators and anti-inflammatory approaches may improve survival. Tumoral PH also includes pulmonary macroembolism and tumours that involve the proximal pulmonary vasculature, such as angiosarcoma; both may mimic pulmonary embolism and chronic thromboembolic PH. Finally, tumoral PH may develop in response to treatments of an underlying malignancy. There is increasing interest in pulmonary arterial hypertension induced by tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as dasatanib. In addition, radiotherapy and chemotherapeutic agents such as mitomycin-C can cause pulmonary veno-occlusive disease. Tumoral PH should be considered in any patient presenting with unexplained PH, especially if it is poorly responsive to standard approaches or there is a history of malignancy. This article will describe subtypes of tumoral PH, their pathophysiology, investigation and management options in turn.

Possibility of venoarterial extracorporeal membranous oxygenator being a bridging therapy for hemodynamic deterioration of pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy prior to initiating chemotherapy: A case report

RATIONALE

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a rare but lethal complication of carcinoma, defined as non-occlusive pulmonary tumor embolism complicated by fibrocellular intimal proliferation of the small pulmonary arteries, with eventual occlusion of the pulmonary arteries. Hemodynamic deterioration caused by this condition leads to high mortality.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 46-year-old woman who had undergone radiation therapy for anaplastic oligoastrocytoma and who was taking temozolomide presented with cough and palpitations.

DIAGNOSES

A 12-lead electrocardiogram showed sinus tachycardia and SIQIII TIII, with negative T in V1-3. Ultrasound cardiography showed a distended right ventricle. Enhanced chest computed tomography showed no significant thrombus in the major pulmonary artery. The patient's condition deteriorated the next morning, with her blood pressure decreasing to 40 mmHg and her SpO2 unmeasurable. She suffered cardiac arrest.

INTERVENTIONS

We initiated venoarterial extracorporeal membranous oxygenation (VA-ECMO) and her blood pressure increased to 80 mmHg. Her hemodynamic status stabilized and she was weaned off VA-ECMO on intensive care unit (ICU) day 3.

OUTCOMES

Gastroesophageal endoscopy on ICU day 4 revealed gastric cancer (Borrman type IV), and she arrested again and died on ICU day 5. Autopsy confirmed gastric cancer and PTTM.

LESSONS

VA-ECMO rapidly stabilized the hemodynamic status of this patient with PTTM, and may thus be a possible bridging therapy for deterioration of PTTM prior to initiating imatinib.

Approach to Pulmonary Hypertension: From CT to Clinical Diagnosis

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a condition characterized by increased pressure in the pulmonary circulation. It may be idiopathic or arise in the setting of other clinical conditions. Patients with PH tend to present with nonspecific cardiovascular or respiratory symptoms. The clinical classification of PH was recently revised at the World Health Organization symposium in Nice, France, in 2013. That consensus statement provided an updated classification based on the shared hemodynamic characteristics and management of the different categories of PH. Some features seen at computed tomography (CT) can suggest a subtype or probable cause of PH that may facilitate placing the patient in the correct category. These features include findings in the pulmonary arteries (peripheral calcification, peripheral dilatation, eccentric filling defects, intra-arterial soft tissue), lung parenchyma (centrilobular nodules, mosaic attenuation, interlobular septal thickening, bronchiectasis, subpleural peripheral opacities, ground-glass opacities, diffuse nodules), heart (congenital lesions, left heart disease, valvular disease), and mediastinum (hypertrophied bronchial arteries). An approach based on identification of these CT features in patients with PH will allow the radiologist to play an important role in diagnosis and help guide the clinician in management of PH. ^©RSNA, 2018.

[Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy]

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy syndrome is a rare clinicopathological entity in which tumor cell micro-emboli in the pulmonary microcirculation induced thrombotic microangiopathy. This can cause respiratory failure, and acute or sub-acute right heart failure. Histological features include micro tumor emboli in the small arteries and arterioles of the lung associated with thrombus formation and fibro-cellular and fibro-muscular intimal proliferation. The diagnosis is however extremely difficult to make before death. Thus, most of the observations reported are based on autopsy data. Very rare diagnostic observations made before death suggest the potential effectiveness of chemotherapy. Many details remain to be elucidated, interdisciplinary research is a priority with close collaboration between pathologists and clinicians to better understand this, often fatal, syndrome. It may be that the use of targeted therapies will improve the very poor prognosis allowing survival of several weeks or months after diagnosis.

Pulmonary tumour thrombotic microangiopathy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Pulmonary tumour thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) describes tumour cell microemboli with occlusive fibrointimal remodelling in small pulmonary arteries, veins and lymphatics. Progressive vessel occlusion ultimately results in pulmonary hypertension, which is often severe and rapid in onset. PTTM is associated with carcinomas, notably gastric carcinoma, with vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signalling implicated in driving the intimal remodelling. PTTM is a rare cause of pulmonary hypertension, but given that up to a quarter of autopsy specimens from patients dying of carcinoma show evidence for PTTM, it is probably underdiagnosed.

RECENT FINDINGS

Until recently, prognosis in PTTM was universally abysmal from weeks to a few months. Diagnostic utilities include aspiration of tumour cells at wedged right heart catheterization, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings and computed tomography-positron emission tomography (CT-PET), although definitive diagnosis requires histological analysis. Reports of PTTM treated with a combination of targeted pulmonary vasodilator therapies, anticoagulation, specific chemotherapy and PDGF inhibition, for example using imatinib, suggest that these approaches can prolong survival.

SUMMARY

PTTM is increasingly recognized as an important cause of pulmonary hypertension, often in patients presenting with new-onset pulmonary hypertension and as yet undiagnosed malignancy. Prospects of survival are improving with targeted combination therapy, and early recognition and diagnosis are likely to be the key factors to improve outcome.

Angiosarcoma in the chest: radiologic-pathologic correlation: Case report

RATIONALE

Angiosarcomas are rare, malignant vascular tumors.

PATIENT CONCERNS

They represents about 2% of all soft tissue sarcoma, which can often metastasize through the hematogenous route. The radiological features have been analyzed in 4 patients with metastatic angiosarcoma in the chest.

DIAGNOSES

The main radiologic findings included nodules, cysts, nodules with halo sign, and vascular tree-in-bud. Morphologic features, as observed in the histologic specimen, have been correlated with radiologic appearance.

LESSONS

Metastatic angiosarcomas to the lung are characterized by a wide variety of radiologic appearances that can be very characteristic. Computed tomographic findings observed include bilateral solid nodules, cystic, and bullous lesions sometimes associated with spontaneous hemopneumothoraces.