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Updated: Jun 3, 2025
Models of Bone Metastasis
Published on: September 4, 2012
Cardiac Angiosarcoma With Spine Destruction as the First Symptom
Ang Zhong1, Yuanlong Xie1, Zhouming Deng1
1Department of Orthopedics, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Hubei Province, China.
Insights
This case study details a rare instance of cardiac angiosarcoma causing spine destruction. Treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy significantly reduced both the heart tumor and back pain.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Pathology
- Oncology
- Orthopedic Oncology
Background:
- Cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare malignancy with limited documented cases.
- Spine destruction secondary to cardiac tumors is exceptionally uncommon.
Observation:
- A patient presented with a month of back pain, later diagnosed with cardiac angiosarcoma.
- Imaging revealed a right atrial mass, indicative of angiosarcoma.
- The tumor had metastasized, causing destruction of the 10th thoracic vertebra.
Findings:
- The patient received radiotherapy targeting the affected vertebra and underwent systemic chemotherapy.
- Follow-up at 4 months showed considerable shrinkage of the cardiac tumors.
- Significant alleviation of back pain was reported post-treatment.
Implications:
- This case highlights the potential for cardiac angiosarcoma to cause vertebral metastasis and significant pain.
- Multimodal treatment including radiotherapy and chemotherapy can be effective in managing advanced cardiac angiosarcoma.
- Further research into rare presentations of cardiac tumors is warranted.
Abstract:
Cardiac angiosarcoma with spine destruction is extremely rare, with only 1 reported case.1 Our hospital admitted a patient with cardiac angiosarcoma with spine destruction. The patient presented to the orthopedics department with back pain for 1 month. Magnetic resonance imaging, echocardiography, and computed tomography of the chest revealed a mass in the right atrium, and a diagnosis of angiosarcoma was made. The patient was given radiotherapy of the 10th thoracic vertebra and total body chemotherapy. The pain in the patient's back had alleviated in the follow-up visit after 4 months. In addition, the patient's heart tumors had shrunk considerably.
