Systematic Review of Clinicopathologic Characteristics and Outcomes of Primary Cardiac Angiosarcoma.

Primary cardiac angiosarcomas are rare, malignant neoplasms of endothelial cell origin for which clinical data and research are limited. This study aims to elucidate the clinical course and outcomes for primary cardiac angiosarcomas through a systematic review. Case reports were identified through PubMed and screened using deductive, striated criteria for inclusion and exclusion consistent with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We analyzed pertinent clinical data including demographic characteristics, patients’ initial presentation, diagnostic methods, treatment modality, and clinical outcomes from hundreds of case studies. This data was analyzed with descriptive statistics, and survival curves were approximated using Kaplan-Meier estimates. Our results show the mean age at disease presentation was 45 years. Symptom presentation was nonspecific and included chest pain (33.1%), dyspnea (43.1%) and cough (6.25%). The majority of tumors were located in the atria with 66.8% in the right atria and 5.6% in the left atria. Furthermore, 32.9% of cases had metastases at presentation. Imaging predominantly consisted of echocardiograms and computed tomographies with 5.0% of patients undergoing brain imaging. Treatment modalities included surgery directed to the primary cardiac site (54.8%), radiation to site of primary (11.2%), and systemic therapy (30.1%). Average survival post diagnosis was 8 months. Primary cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor with high metastatic potential and poor prognosis. Through this broad, systematic review of cases, more details regarding disease presentation, prognosis, and treatment modalities can be easily compiled and communicated to patients and providers.Bachelor of Scienc