Pulmonary Artery Sarcoma–A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Primary pulmonary artery sarcoma is a rare tumor. The tumor is often mistaken for a pulmonary thromboembolism at presentation, and the surgical treatment is usually delayed. Its prognosis is extremely poor, and less than 10% of the patients survive longer than 1 year after diagnosis. Herein, we report a case of pulmonary artery sarcoma with the initial presentation of hemoptysis and a mass in the right upper lobe, mimicking a lung cancer. Subsequent studies suggested a right pulmonary artery tumor with suspicious tumor emboli. After undergoing a palliative resection of the tumor and various regimens of adjuvant chemotherapy, he sustained hydrocephalus associated with brain metastasis 15 months later. He finally died of respiratory failure 19 months after operation. The literature is reviewed, and we conclude that early diagnosis and complete resection followed by chemotherapy can provide a chance of intermediate or long-term survival.