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Extensive cardiac metastases secondary to uterine leiomyosarcoma
Anna M Calleja1, Clinton V Wellnitz, Mohsen S Alharthi
1Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona 85259, USA.
Insights
Uterine leiomyosarcoma rarely spreads to the heart. Aggressive treatment in a patient with extensive cardiac metastases led to over a year of survival, highlighting the importance of intervention.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Oncology
- Gynecologic Oncology
Background:
- Uterine leiomyosarcoma is a rare malignancy.
- Cardiac metastasis from uterine leiomyosarcoma is exceptionally infrequent, with only 11 cases reported in four decades.
Observation:
- A 48-year-old woman presented with uterine leiomyosarcoma.
- Extensive cardiac metastases were diagnosed during life, involving multiple heart chambers and major vessels.
Findings:
- This case demonstrates the possibility of diagnosing cardiac metastases from uterine leiomyosarcoma antemortem.
- Despite the advanced stage of metastasis, aggressive treatment achieved survival exceeding one year.
Implications:
- Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment can improve outcomes in select patients with rare cardiac metastases.
- This case challenges the notion that extensive cardiac involvement invariably portends a poor prognosis.
Abstract:
Uterine leiomyosarcoma metastatic to multiple cardiac chambers occurs infrequently. Over the past 4 decades, there have been only 11 reported cases of cardiac metastasis secondary to uterine leiomyosarcoma. Metastatic cardiac tumors are commonly diagnosed postmortem, although it may be possible to diagnose them during life. The authors report a rare case of a 48-year-old woman with uterine leiomyosarcoma who was diagnosed with extensive cardiac metastases (in the left atrium, right and left ventricles, pulmonary artery, and pulmonary vein). Although extensive cardiac metastases are suggestive of imminent death, aggressive treatment resulted in survival for >1 year for this patient, which underscores the importance of treatment in select patients.
