Cardiac angiosarcomas are the most common sarcoma involving the heart (see cardiac tumors).
Please refer to the article on angiosarcomas for a general discussion about this entity.
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Epidemiology
They occur slightly more frequently in males.
Clinical presentation
Patients usually present with right-sided heart failure or cardiac tamponade.
Pathology
These tumors tend to occur in the right atrium and involve the pericardium.
Radiographic features
Two main morphologic types have been described in angiosarcoma:
- well-defined mass protruding into a cardiac chamber, usually the right atrium
- CT shows a low-attenuation right atrial mass, which may be irregular or nodular (usually arises from the right atrial free wall)
- contrast material enhancement is heterogeneous
- diffusely infiltrative mass extending along the pericardium
- pericardial space may be obliterated with hemorrhagic, necrotic tumor debris
Treatment and prognosis
Prognosis is poor, which may be due in part to the delay in diagnosis (patients usually have metastatic involvement at presentation).
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