Pulmonary Embolism in a Patient with Primary Renal Synovial Sarcoma: The Important Differential Diagnosis of Tumor Embolism and Its Therapeutic Implications

• Main Authors: Sabine Schmid, Christian Öhlschlegel, Wolfgang Nagel, Christoph Zeisel, Joachim Müller, Christian Rothermundt
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Karger Publishers 2013-06-01
• Series: Case Reports in Oncology
• Subjects: Sarcoma; Primary renal synovial sarcoma; Tumor embolism; Thromboembolism; Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration
• Online Access: http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/353409
• ISSN: 1662-6575

Pulmonary tumor embolism rarely occurs in epithelial-derived tumors, but it has been described in different tumor entities. Microscopic pulmonary tumor embolisms are often only discovered on autopsy. Pulmonary thromboembolism, on the other hand, is a frequent complication in cancer patients, and surgery in patients with a malignant tumor is an additional risk factor. The differential diagnosis between pulmonary thromboembolism and pulmonary tumor embolism can be challenging. In this case report, we describe the rare case of a patient with primary renal synovial sarcoma and the workup for a thrombus in the left pulmonary artery.