Effectiveness of preoperative PET examination of huge angiosarcoma of the heart.

Abstract: We report a 60-year-old-woman with a huge intracardiac angiosarcoma in whom preoperative F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET was useful for confirming malignancy of the tumor and determining whether surgery was indicated for it. Her chief complaint was dyspnea. Because she was suspected to have a huge intracardiac tumor on the basis of transthoracic echocardiographic and computed tomography (CT) findings, FDG PET was performed, and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV) of the tumor was found to be 5.6. Because other tests and SUV level suggested a malignant cardiac tumor, surgical resection of it was attempted. On histopathological examination, the tumor was found to be an angiosarcoma. Our experience with this case indicates that, when dealing with patients suspected to have very large tumors, FDG PET is useful in examination for malignant potential and is indispensable in exploration for distant metastases.

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