1999 Volume 38 Issue 6 Pages 570-573
Background: Primary cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare tumor and the cytological features of this tumor remain poorly defined. To clarify its cytological features we report here a case with histological and immunohistochemical findings.Case: A 60-year-old man presented himself to another hospital in November 1996 with dyspnea and fever. Chest computed tomography revealed a tumor in the right atrium. He was admitted to our hospital and tumorectomy of the right atrium was performed. Imprint cytology from the resected tumor showed that the tumor cells were scattered or formed medium-sized clusters. Spindle-shaped, polygonal and oval atypical cells were identified against a hemorrhagic background. The nuclei of the tumor cells were oval and eccentric, and the nuclear margin was uniformly thick. The nuclear chromatin was granular, and the nucleoli were prominent. Histologically, the tumor was composed of abnormal proliferations of malignant endothelial cells forming vascular channels. Immunohistochemistry for vimentin, factor Vlll-related antigen and CD 34 was positive. The diagnosis of angiosarcoma was established from these pathological findings.
Conclusion: The cytological features of the tumor cells on imprint cytology may be a useful finding for the diagnosis of angiosarcoma arising in the heart.
