[Angiosarcoma (hemangiosarcoma) cordis]

Abstract

The case of a young 32 year old male with a primary cardiac angiosarcoma is reported. The neoplasm manifested itself by a quickly increasing cardiac tamponade but without metastases. The nonradical resection of the tumor was made because of local invasion with tumor tissue. The patient was followed-up for 3 years after the surgery and no recurrence of the malignant process was observed. Cardiac angiosarcoma is a very rare malignant tumor of soft tissues. In spite of significant progress in clinical treatment, for a patient diagnosed antemortem with cardiac angiosarcoma, the long-term expectations are usually very poor. Commonly known risk factors for this group of neoplasms (haemangioma of skin, chroniclymphedema, chronic post-tuberculosis pleurisy, X-ray, thorium dioxide) cannot be easily associated with the primary cardiac angiosarcoma cases. The search for chromosomal anomalies and gene mutations leading to cardiac angiosarcoma is ongoing. There is hope that recently obtained evidence for mutation of the p53gen, will provide a better understanding of this heart neoplasia.