Pulmonary artery sarcoma
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Pulmonary artery sarcomas are rare cancerous tumors in the pulmonary artery.
Historical Perspective
The first case that was published occurred in 1923 by M. Mandelstamm.[1] Since this point, only about 250 cases have been reported.
Differentiating pulmonary artery sarcoma from other Diseases
Since the symptoms of a pulmonary artery sarcoma often mimic the symptoms of a pulmonary embolism, steps need to be taken to differentiate the diseases. Some of the clinical data that can help in differentiating the two from each other are as follows:[1]
- Fever
- Elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate
- Anemia
- Weight loss
- Absence of a procoagulant state
- Lack of history for deep vein thrombosis
Natural History, Complications, and Prognosis
The prognosis for a pulmonary artery sarcoma is very poor. The life expectancy is typically reported in weeks instead of months or years.[1]
Diagnosis
Symptoms
Laboratory Findings
CT
Many different imaging studies can be used to evaluate a pulmonary artery sarcoma, but the standard test is the CT scan.
Treatment
Pharmacotherapy
Chronic Pharmacotherapies
Typically in cases of cancer, chemotherapy is the preferred treatment method. In the case of a pulmonary artery sarcoma, treatment with chemotherapy is not ideal. There is not currently a preferred treatment regimen.[1]
Surgery and Device Based Therapy
Many of the interventional treatments involve extensive surgical techniques. Some of these techniques include:
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Blackmon SH, Rice DC, Correa AM, Mehran R, Putnam JB, Smythe WR, Walkes JC, Walsh GL, Moran C, Singh H, Vaporciyan AA, Reardon M (2009). "Management of primary pulmonary artery sarcomas". The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 87 (3): 977–84. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2008.08.018. PMID 19231448. Retrieved 2012-08-03. Unknown parameter
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