Pulmonary artery sarcoma mimicking a pulmonary embolism

Indian J Cancer. 2008 Jan-Mar;45(1):27-9. doi: 10.4103/0019-509x.40643.

Abstract

Sarcomas involving the lung are a rare occurrence, often a result of metastatic disease from primary malignancies involving the skin, liver, breast or heart. Primary pulmonary artery sarcomas are rarer still, with limited cases reported world-wide and consequently data regarding treatment modalities are sparse and largely experimental. These tumors are often mistaken for a pulmonary embolism and seemingly supported by radiological findings. Patients will often present without symptom resolution despite therapeutic anticoagulation. The following case illustrates how a soft tissue sarcoma of the pulmonary artery can mimic a pulmonary embolism, thus, resulting in both a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma. A positron emission tomography scan was an invaluable tool in this case, showing increased radiotracer uptake and placing neoplasm at the top of the differential diagnosis. This ultimately led to a biopsy that was vimentin positive, cytokeratin negative and CD117 negative, thus consistent with soft tissue sarcoma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Hepatitis C / complications
  • Humans
  • Hypothyroidism / complications
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • Pulmonary Artery / pathology*
  • Pulmonary Embolism / pathology*
  • Sarcoma / diagnostic imaging
  • Sarcoma / drug therapy
  • Sarcoma / pathology*
  • Vascular Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Vascular Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Vascular Neoplasms / pathology*