[Cardiac angiosarcoma with diagnostic difficulty].

ABSTRACT

We report a case of cardiac angiosarcoma of the right atrium. A 20-year-old woman was admitted to the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine with severe chest pain and dyspnea. A cardiac tumor was diagnosed by computed tomography (CT), echocardiography, and cinecardiography. The tumor marker CA125 was 293 U/ml (normal <35 U/ml). Therefore a CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy under CT fluoroscopic guidance for definitive diagnosis was performed after obtaining the patient's informed consent. Pathohistologically, the tumor was diagnosed as a cardiac angiosarcoma. The use of an intravenous infusion of contrast material contributed greatly to clear visualization of the tumor margin and cardiac lumen and assisted in easily and correctly advancing the needle toward the tumor. Moreover, tumor marker CA125 was a good indicator of therapeutic efficacy.