Mitral Valve Malignant Primary Tumor as a Surgical Emergency: Case Report

Malignant primary tumors of the heart are among the most unusual forms of cancer. Cardiac malignancy accounts for about 20% of all primary cardiac tumors, with most arising from the atria and less frequently the ventricles; very unusual locations include the great vessels and the cardiac valves. A rare case is presented of a young female that arrived at the authors' emergency room in pulmonary edema and circulatory collapse secondary to a true tumor of the mitral leaflets that caused severe mitral valve stenosis. On pathological examination this proved to be a mitral leaflet angiosarcoma.