VCOM Louisiana Research Day Program

Clinical & Case Studies

Mihir Patel, OMS-III; Saloni Savani, MD; Arpita Pawa, MD Willis Knighton Health Systems 27 A CASE OF PRIMARY MALIGNANT CARDIA MYXOFIBROSARCOMA

Primary cardiac tumors (PCTs) are rare entities, with most studies indicating an incidence of 0.002-0.3% and a prevalence of 0.001-0.03%. Myxofibrosarcomas are reported as one of the rarest forms of cardiac sarcomas. Clinical presentation ranges from incidental discovery on imaging tests to lethal presentation such as cardiac tamponade, arrhythmia, obstruction, and systemic embolization. Prognosis of a primary cardiac sarcoma is very poor with death being largely attributed to locoregional progression. We report a case of a 55-year old Caucasian female who presented with signs and symptoms of a neurological disorder but was incidentally found to have a cardiac mass on imaging. Patient had a history of Hypertension, Migraine headaches, Gastroesophageal reflux disease and Anxiety presented to the Emergency Room following an MRI showing a focal area of restricted diffusion in the right superior parietal lobule cortex compatible with a non- hemorrhagic infarct and a small old left cerebellar infarct. The patient underwent a tumor removal with resection of the posterolateral wall of the left atrium followed by a mitral valve replacement and had an uneventful postoperative period. This case highlighted the incidence and prevalence of primary cardiac tumors to increase the dialogue and discussion

surrounding the topic so that improved diagnostic and therapeutic modalities can be mobilized. Primary cardiac tumors are rare alone but the presentation of a cardia tumor which is malignant, even more so. In conclusion, primary cardiac myxofibrosarcoma is a rare and aggressive type of cancer that affects the heart. It has a high rate of mortality due to the difficulty in early diagnosis and the limited options for treatment. Surgical resection is the primary mode of treatment, however, even with complete removal of the tumor, the recurrence rate is high and the long-term survival rate is poor. Therefore, it is important for clinicians to be aware of this condition and to consider it in the differential diagnosis of cardiac tumors. Further research is needed to improve our understanding of the biology of this cancer and to develop more effective treatments.

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