Leiomyosarcoma of the left atrium. A case study

A case of left atrial leiomyosarcoma is reported. A forty year-old woman presented to hospital with a history of shortness of breath and tachycardia. Imaging revealed a left atrial mass which was surgically resected and shown to be a leiomyosarcoma. Adjuvant treatment with external beam radiotherapy was prescribed. The treatment planning was complicated by previous radiotherapy for a left sided primary breast tumour one year previously. Primary cardiac neoplasms are rare, with leiomyosarcoma representing a tiny proportion of these. Limited data is available on the effectiveness of treatment regimes for cardiac leiomyosarcoma due to its rarity. Treatment planning considerations and the strategy adopted for this case are discussed. (C) 2012 The College of Radiographers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.