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Updated: May 21, 2025
00:08
Murine Surgical Model of Topical Elastase Induced Descending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm
Published on: August 24, 2019
7.5K
[Malignant Tumours of the Aorta]
Steffen Wolk1, Christian Reeps1
1Gefäß- und endovaskuläre Chirurgie, Klinik und Poliklinik für Viszeral-, Thorax- und Gefäßchirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Deutschland.
Zentralblatt Fur Chirurgie
|May 19, 2025
Summary
Aortic malignancies, primarily high-grade sarcomas, are rare and often misdiagnosed. Surgical resection with aortic replacement offers limited survival rates for these aggressive tumors.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Oncology
- Radiology
Background:
- Aortic malignancies are exceptionally rare, with fewer than 200 documented cases.
- High-grade sarcomas constitute over 80% of these rare aortic tumors.
- Tumors grow intimately within the aorta, posing diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of aortic malignancies.
- To highlight the diagnostic difficulties and delayed treatment associated with these rare tumors.
- To report on the survival outcomes following current therapeutic strategies.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of aortic malignancy cases.
- Analysis of diagnostic modalities, emphasizing MRI's role.
- Evaluation of surgical and adjuvant therapeutic approaches.
Main Results:
- Aortic sarcomas present with non-specific symptoms, peripheral embolism, aneurysm, or rupture in one-third of cases.
- MRI is the gold standard for diagnosis, while CT angiography and PET CT show non-specific signs.
- 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates are critically low at 26%, 7.6%, and 3.5%, respectively.
Conclusions:
- Delayed diagnosis is common due to non-specific symptoms and mimicry of other conditions.
- Radical tumor resection with aortic replacement is the primary treatment strategy.
- Adjuvant medical therapy may follow surgery, but overall prognosis remains poor.
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