Cancer Patient With Unusual Dyspnea in the COVID-19 Era: Challenging Management of a Rare Cardiac Tumor

Giovanni La Malfa; Paolo Spallarossa; Giacomo Tini; Matteo Sarocchi; Antonio Salsano; Giulia Parolari; Antonio Guadagno; Stefania Sciallero; Italo Porto; Francesco Santini

doi:10.1016/j.jaccas.2021.01.011

Cancer Patient With Unusual Dyspnea in the COVID-19 Era: Challenging Management of a Rare Cardiac Tumor

JACC Case Rep. 2021 May;3(5):823-828. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2021.01.011. Epub 2021 Mar 10.

Affiliations

¹ Cardiovascular Disease Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino-IRCCS Italian Cardiovascular Network, Genova, Italy.
² Division of Cardiac Surgery, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, University of Genova, Genova, Italy.
³ Anatomic Pathology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.
⁴ Medical Oncology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.

Abstract

Heart failure symptoms, in particular dyspnea, may be difficult to frame in a patient with cancer. We report the case of an oncological patient whose dyspnea could have been attributable to various causes and whose management was challenging in the context of the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic. (Level of Difficulty: Beginner.).

Keywords: COVID-19, coronavirus disease-2019; CT, computed tomography; MPNST, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor; RVOT, right ventricular outflow tract; cancer; computed tomography; echocardiography; imaging; right ventricle; shortness of breath.

Publication types

Case Reports