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[Sarcoma of the heart. Apropos of 2 cases]
Insights
Cardiac sarcoma is rare, presenting differently in two patients. One experienced severe ventricular arrhythmia, the other congestive heart failure, with both cases proving rapidly fatal.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Oncology
- Pathology
Background:
- Cardiac sarcoma is an exceptionally rare malignancy.
- Early diagnosis is challenging due to varied clinical presentations.
Observation:
- Two cases of cardiac sarcoma are presented with distinct clinical manifestations.
- A 15-year-old girl presented with severe ventricular arrhythmia; a 63-year-old woman with congestive cardiac failure.
Findings:
- Left ventricular sarcoma was diagnosed via ultrasound in the first patient.
- Right ventricular sarcoma was suspected via angiography in the second patient, missed by ultrasound.
- Both patients experienced rapid deterioration and succumbed to the disease.
Implications:
- This highlights the diagnostic challenges and diverse presentations of cardiac sarcoma.
- Emphasizes the need for advanced imaging and high clinical suspicion in suspected cardiac tumors.
- Underscores the poor prognosis associated with cardiac sarcomas.
Abstract:
Sarcoma of the heart is a very rare condition. We present here two cases with very different clinical expression. The first patient, a 15-year old girl, presented with extremely severe ventricular arrhythmia, whereas the second patient, a 63-year old woman, mainly had signs of congestive cardiac failure. A diagnosis of cardiac tumour was made in the first case on the basis of ultrasonographic results which clearly showed the tumour developed from the walls of the left ventricle. In the second case, the tumour involved the right ventricular wall, the deformation of which was undetected by ultrasounds and only suspected at angiography. Both patients died rapidly, and the diagnosis of sarcoma was confirmed at post-mortem examination.