An intimal sarcoma of the pulmonary artery. An immunohistochemical study

• Published in: Revista española de cardiologia Vol. 51; no. 10; pp. 850 - 852
• Main Authors: Pérez del Río, M J, Molina Suárez, R, Fresno Forcelledo, M F, Veiga González, M, Madrigal Rubiales, B, González González, M, Herrero Zapatero, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Spain 01.10.1998
• Subjects: Aged; Fatal Outcome; Female; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Pulmonary Artery - metabolism; Pulmonary Artery - pathology; Sarcoma - diagnosis; Sarcoma - pathology; Tunica Intima - metabolism; Tunica Intima - pathology; Vascular Neoplasms - diagnosis; Vascular Neoplasms - pathology
• ISSN: 0300-8932

Pulmonary artery intimal sarcomas tend to be presented with symptoms of pulmonary thromboembolism and grow regionally, with little capacity to metastasize. They probably originate from subendothelial cells, that become myofibroblasts. Knowledge of it is important to establish a presurgery diagnosis, with the possibility of a total resection, the only useful treatment until now. We report a case of a pulmonary artery primary sarcoma, in a 73 year old woman, admitted with hemoptysis and pleuritic chest pain, who died ten days after. Autopsy revealed an intraluminal mass at the pulmonary artery trunk, without regional nor distance involvement. Microscopic study showed a pleomorphic tumor with spindle and epithelioid cells, positive for actin, desmin and vimentin. All these data support the diagnosis of primary intimal sarcoma of the pulmonary artery. We want to emphasize the myogenic differentiation of the tumor, uncommon in previously reported cases.