Pulmonary artery sarcoma successfully treated by right pneumonectomy after definitive diagnosis

World J Clin Oncol. 2013 Nov 10;4(4):102-5. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v4.i4.102.

Abstract

Pulmonary artery sarcoma (PAS) is a rare and lethal neoplasm that is usually diagnosed during surgery or autopsy. Early diagnosis and radical surgical resection offer the only chance for survival. However, making a preoperative histopathological diagnosis is quite difficult. We encountered a 57-year-old woman presenting a PAS that mimicked a pulmonary thromboembolism. After confirming a definitive diagnosis using a catheter suction biopsy, we successfully performed a right pneumonectomy via a median sternotomy without cardiopulmonary bypass. Eighteen months after surgery, no recurrence was observed.

Keywords: Catheter suction biopsy; Pneumonectomy; Preoperative diagnosis; Pulmonary artery sarcoma; Surgery.