Sarcomatous pleural mesothelioma metastatic to left ventricular endocardium

Our plain-English summary of Sarcomatous pleural mesothelioma metastatic to left ventricular endocardium, by N. Senkottaiyan, L.M. Seacord, K.H. Fulling, et al (Angiology, 2006).

The study

• Authors: N. Senkottaiyan, L.M. Seacord, K.H. Fulling, J.A. Birchem, M.A. Fraley, M.A. Alpert
• Journal: Angiology
• Published: 2006;57(4):517-21
• Type of article: Case report, Review
• Cited by: 5 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

A 71-year-old man, a cigarette smoker with long-term asbestos exposure, developed multifocal malignant sarcomatous pleural mesothelioma that metastasized to the left ventricular endocardium without invading pericardium, myocardium, or the contiguous pulmonary vein. This is the first reported case of malignant pleural mesothelioma to metastasize in such a manner.

In plain English

This was a case report with a brief literature review. It described a 71-year-old man who had smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day for 15 years and had long-standing occupational asbestos exposure. The article did not name the fiber type or his job. He was hospitalized in March 2002. A chest X-ray showed pleural plaques on both sides, several calcified, and fluid around the right lung. Tissue removed from the lining of his right chest was diagnosed as malignant sarcomatous pleural mesothelioma, and he received chemotherapy. In June 2003 heart imaging found a mass measuring 2.0 by 2.0 by 2.0 cm in the left ventricle. Surgeons removed it. It was attached to the heart's inner lining without invading heart muscle, and stained positive for a mesothelioma marker. In August 2003 a new mass was found in the left atrium. He died in September 2003; no autopsy was done. The authors concluded it was the first reported case of mesothelioma spreading to the left ventricle's cavity without first invading heart muscle or the sac around the heart. They said how the tumor reached the heart was uncertain.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Case report with a brief literature review
• Who was studied: One 71-year-old man, hospitalized in March 2002 and treated at St. John's Mercy Medical Center, St. Louis, MO
• Exposure: Long-standing occupational exposure to asbestos (fiber type and job not stated). He had also smoked 2 packs of cigarettes per day for 15 years.
• Main results:
  • The chest radiograph showed multiple bilateral pleural plaques, several of them calcified, and a moderate right pleural effusion.
  • The patient developed multifocal malignant sarcomatous pleural mesothelioma, diagnosed from tissue removed by parietal pleurectomy at right open thoracotomy.
  • The patient was treated with cisplatin, gemcitabine, and an experimental drug.
  • In June 2003, transesophageal echocardiography showed a 2.0 by 2.0 by 2.0 cm mass in the left ventricular outflow tract.
  • The surgically removed tumor was attached to the endocardium, with no invasion of the myocardium.
  • The heart tumor stained positive for WT1 gene product, a marker characteristic of mesothelioma.
  • In August 2003, a 2.5 by 2.4 by 3.8 cm mass was found in the left atrial cavity.
  • The patient died in September 2003, and the family refused permission for an autopsy.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded this was the first reported case of metastatic malignant mesothelioma involving the left ventricular cavity without first invading myocardium or pericardium.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that the origin of the metastasis inside the heart was uncertain. Their explanation, that the tumor traveled through a pulmonary vein, was offered as plausible.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Pleural Mesothelioma, Asbestos Exposure, Pericardium, Metastasis.

Related studies

• Sarcomatous mesothelioma in the left ventricle: a rare entity — M. Jianyang, Z. Xiuhui, et al. (2001)
• Fibrolipoma of the left ventricle: an uncommon incidental autopsy finding — K. Fragkouli, A. Mitselou, et al. (2020)
• Synovial sarcoma of the heart arising from a so-called mesothelioma of the atrio-ventricular node — E.A. Sheffield, B. Corrin, et al. (1988)
• Sudden death due to a cystic atrio-ventricular node tumour — G. Maujean, A. Tabib, et al. (2010)
• BAP1 Immunohistochemistry and p16 FISH in the Diagnosis of Sarcomatous and Desmoplastic Mesotheliomas — H.C. Hwang, S. Pyott, et al. (2016)
• Sarcomatous tumor of the chest wall with osteochondroid differentiation. Evidence of mesothelial origin — A. Andrion, G. Mazzucco, et al. (1989)

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