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Case Reports
. 2023 Sep 20;16(9):e256722.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2023-256722.

Aortic sarcoma: a challenging diagnosis

Thi Huong Giang Bui  1   2 , Ngoc Son Do  1   3 , The Thach Pham  1   3 , Duc Trieu Ho  4   3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Aortic sarcoma: a challenging diagnosis

Thi Huong Giang Bui et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

Sarcomas of the aorta are rare tumours with various clinical presentations. The most common symptoms are embolic events, constitutional symptoms, claudication, abdominal complaints, aneurysm/pseudoaneurysm, back pain and hypertension. We present a case of a woman in her early 60s having fever, fatigue and cough for 3 months. The chest CT revealed an aneurysm measuring 64.1×65.6 mm. The oncology and thoracic surgical teams were consulted and decided to do an open repair of the aorta and take specimens for histopathological examination, which later confirmed a pleomorphic undifferentiated sarcoma of the aorta. She was temporarily discharged on day 9th after the surgery, followed up by chemotherapy in subsequent admission.

Keywords: Oncology; Surgical oncology; Vascular surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The CT scan revealed a descending aortic aneurysm 1 year prior.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The stent graft placement in the descending aorta at the level of aneurysm after the patient getting a diagnosis 1 year ago.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Preoperative chest CT revealed an aneurysm (with a stent graft placed 1 year ago) in the thoracic aorta, later confirmed by biopsy as a sarcoma.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Preoperative MRI revealed an aortic aneurysm with hyperintensity in T1-weighted images.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The mass was removed, and the aorta was reconstructed using an artificial graft.
Figure 6
Figure 6
H&E stain of the mass biopsy specimen showed diverse cell morphology with nuclear pleomorphism and numerous mitoses.
Figure 7
Figure 7
CD68 staining was positive.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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