Cardiac Angiosarcoma : Treatment
Image Description
Primary cardiac angiosarcomas are aggressive tumors with a tendency to metastasize to lungs and liver. The primary mode of treatment is surgical resection. In patients with a high tumor burden or metastatic disease, surgery can provide temporary palliative relief.
Due to the infiltrative nature of the tumor, it is difficult to obtain negative margins resulting in high recurrence rate. No standardized protocols exist for the routine use of chemotherapy or radiotherapy due to the rarity of this tumor.
This image shows involvement of pericardium by the tumor. They were visible as multiple hemorrhagic nodules on the pericardium. The patient was a young male with brief history of chest pain and dyspnea. Transthoracic echocardiogram showed pericardial effusion and irregular thickening of the right atrial wall.
Due to the infiltrative nature of the tumor, it is difficult to obtain negative margins resulting in high recurrence rate. No standardized protocols exist for the routine use of chemotherapy or radiotherapy due to the rarity of this tumor.
This image shows involvement of pericardium by the tumor. They were visible as multiple hemorrhagic nodules on the pericardium. The patient was a young male with brief history of chest pain and dyspnea. Transthoracic echocardiogram showed pericardial effusion and irregular thickening of the right atrial wall.