An unusual cause of spontaneous hemothorax: cardiac angiosarcoma

Angiosarcoma, the most common primary malignant neoplasm of the heart in adults, usually presents as pericardial effusion or right-sided heart failure. Rupture of an angiosarcoma-infiltrated cardiac chamber as a cause of hemothorax is very rare in the literature. In this report, we describe a 34-year-old male patient, who presented to emergency service with sudden chest pain and dyspnea. The diagnostic work-up revealed spontaneous right-sided hemothorax and a large right atrial (RA) mass with suspicious atrial perforation. An urgent surgery showed a vascularized irregular RA mass invading the parietal pericardium and pleura and a perforation of the RA free wall. Histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of angiosarcoma, and the patient was subsequently referred for radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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