PRIMARY ANGIOSARCOMA OF THE HEART : AN AUTOPSY CASE REPORT WITH IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL OBSERVATIONS

Abstract

An autopsy case of primary angiosarcoma of the heart is reported. The patient was a 24 year old male and developed a tumor mass in the right atrium with a first symptom of pericardial effusion. As a result of intensive therapies including surgical operation and radiation therapy, the patient survived just 2 years after his first visit, and died of the rupture of the multiple metastatic tumors in the liver. The tumor cells of the present case were mainly composed of three types : (1) endothelial cells, (2) spindle cells and (3) epithelioid cells. Endothelial cells in the cavernous area showed positive reactivity to antibodies for Ulex europaeus agglutinin 1 (UEA-1), factor Ⅷ-related antigen (F Ⅷ), CD 31, BNH 9 (a new blood group-related antigen) and vimentin (Vim). Spindle tumor cells reacted to antibodies for CD 31, BNH 9 and Vim. However, epithelioid cells reacted only to Vim. The positive rate of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in spindle tumor cells showed a higher tendency than that in endothelial tumor cells.