Sarcomas of the thoracic cavity

Breast sarcoma, like tumors of the thoracic part of the body, most often appears due to metastasis from the esophagus, lungs, mediastinum, and in some cases the heart. Treatment of breast sarcoma is carried out by an oncologist, cardiologist and gastroenterologist. The danger of breast sarcoma is that most often, the disease is asymptomatic. It is this fact that is associated with a high mortality rate of patients with malignant breast tumors.

The patient seeks medical help too late, when the sarcoma has entered the untreated stage. Vivid symptoms of sarcoma begin to appear at the last stage of the disease, when the patient begins to feel unexplained pain, general weakness and weight loss. Symptoms also depend on the location of the sarcoma.

Breast sarcoma is currently an incompletely studied group of diseases. The lack of study is explained by the anatomical specificity of the sternum structure. The chest contains many tissue rudiments and embryos of connective tissue. Breast sarcoma can affect soft tissues or refers to tumors of the skeletal system of the sternum. In the chest, the most commonly diagnosed types of sarcomas are:

• Liposarcoma.
• Angiosarcomas.
• Rhabdomyosarcomas.
• Neurogenic sarcomas.
• Chondrosarcomas.
• Osteosarcomas.
• Synovial sarcomas.
• Ewing's sarcoma.

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Sarcoma of the ribs

Rib sarcoma is a malignant tumor with widespread distribution. In the early stages of the disease, the clinical picture is not clearly expressed. The patient feels pain in the ribs and sternum. Sometimes the pain syndrome spreads to the surrounding tissues. As the sarcoma progresses, the pain increases, and anesthetics do not help to cope with the unpleasant symptoms. A small swelling appears in the area of the affected ribs, which is easily palpated, but causes pain when palpated. The tumor develops quickly and metastasizes early.

• As soon as the tumor affects the autonomic nervous system, the patient begins to show neurological symptoms (anxiety, increased excitability, irritability).
• Due to the unbearable pain, patients develop anemia, fever, elevated temperature, and the area of the body above the tumor changes color and becomes hot to the touch.
• Rib sarcoma can develop simultaneously from different types of tissue. For example, osteosarcoma affects bone tissue, fibrosarcoma affects tendons and ligaments, chondrosarcoma affects cartilage, and reticulosarcoma affects vascular components.
• Rib tumors are widespread, which is what distinguishes them from most other tumors affecting the sternum. Without timely diagnosis and treatment, the disease disrupts important functions of the chest and the breathing process.
• Based on localization, rib sarcoma is divided into monostotic, affecting one rib, and polystotic, affecting several ribs and the sternum.

Lung sarcoma

Lung sarcoma is a malignant tumor of connective tissue origin. Most often, the tumor develops between the bronchial walls and alveolar septa. Lung sarcomas are characterized by heterogeneity, among them are: neurosarcomas, lymphosarcomas, rhabdomyosarcomas, angiosarcomas and other types of tumors. The treatment method depends on the location and volume of the tumor. As a rule, lung sarcoma is treated using radiation and chemotherapy, in extreme cases, surgical intervention is used.

Sarcoma of the heart

Cardiac sarcoma is divided into several histological types. Most patients diagnosed with a malignant heart tumor die within a few weeks or months. As a rule, sarcomas are localized in the right sections of the heart, growing into the pericardial cavity and vena cava. Sarcoma of the left sections of the heart is very often mistaken for myxomas. Due to incorrect diagnosis, sarcoma affects the organ so much that treatment and radical surgery are impossible. But even timely diagnosis of cardiac sarcoma, chemotherapy methods and radiation irradiation prolong the lives of patients for a short time. An exception is cardiac lymphosarcoma, which is amenable to radiation therapy and chemotherapy methods.

• The clinical picture of the disease depends entirely on the localization of the sarcoma, its size and the degree of progression. Thus, some types of sarcomas can metastasize, affecting a number of organs and systems.
• The symptoms of the disease begin with a slight increase in temperature, sudden weight loss, general weakness and pain in the joints. Later, the patient complains of various rashes on the limbs and torso. Symptoms of heart failure gradually develop.
• If the tumor extends into the pericardial space, it leads to hemorrhagic pericardial effusion and tamponade. Some patients experience ventricular failure and venous obstruction, which leads to swelling of the face and upper extremities. When the inferior vena cava is affected, patients begin to experience congestion in the internal organs.

The presence of cardiac sarcoma can be suspected by symptoms such as chest pain, hemopericardium in the absence of a history of trauma, general weakness, rashes, and causeless pain. Treatment of cardiac sarcoma is symptomatic. The patient undergoes a course of chemotherapy and radiation. The prognosis is unfavorable, with a survival rate of about 80%. Most patients die within five years of being diagnosed with cardiac sarcoma.

Pericardial sarcoma

Pericardial sarcoma is a tumor lesion of the outer membrane of the heart, which consists entirely of connective tissue. The pericardium is separated from the inner layers of the heart by a gap, a cavity filled with serous fluid. If the neoplasm grows from the pericardial tissue, the tumor gradually spreads to the pericardial space and other areas, forming a hemorrhagic effusion into the cardiac cavity, which leads to tamponade.

Pericardial sarcoma is characterized by the absence of normal heart contractions due to compression of the heart cavities. This condition is life-threatening and requires immediate treatment. The symptoms of malignant pericardial tumors are similar to those of heart failure. The treatment is the same as for cardiac sarcoma.

Esophageal sarcoma

Esophageal sarcoma is a malignant connective tissue neoplasm that most often affects men. Esophageal tumor is a rare disease that metastasizes to organs adjacent to the esophagus and to the chest. Most often, sarcoma has the form of a polyp that grows into the lumen of the esophagus. There are also tumors that are localized in the middle third of the esophagus or on its anterior wall. As a rule, leiomyosarcoma is diagnosed with esophageal sarcoma. The tumor can grow through the entire esophageal wall, extending beyond its limits, affecting the surrounding tissues and mediastinal tissue.

The clinical picture of the disease consists of a disruption of the swallowing process and pain syndrome with further progression of sarcoma. As a rule, the localization of pain occurs behind the sternum, but unpleasant sensations can be given between the shoulder blades and to the spine. In almost all cases, esophageal sarcoma is accompanied by esophagitis, that is, an inflammatory lesion of the esophagus walls. The symptoms of the disease are varied. At first, the patient feels general weakness, progressive weight loss and anemia are noted.

Esophageal sarcoma leads to complete exhaustion, which is accompanied by painful symptoms and swallowing disorders. If the tumor grows into the respiratory tract, it leads to the appearance of a fistula between the trachea, bronchi and esophagus. This can cause obstruction of the respiratory tract. In addition, malignant neoplasm of the esophagus metastasizes early, and, as a rule, to the musculoskeletal system and skull bones.

Mediastinal sarcoma

Mediastinal sarcoma is a rare malignant tumor. Sarcoma spreads throughout the entire mediastinal tissue, affecting and compressing the organs located in it. If the neoplasm spreads to the pleura, this leads to the appearance of exudate in the pleural cavities.

Treatment of mediastinal sarcoma depends on the stage of its development, the level of metastasis and the general health of the patient. Most often, treatment is carried out using radiation therapy. This allows to stop metastatic lesions of the lymph nodes of the mediastinum. A course of chemohormonal therapy is mandatory. Radiation irradiation is effective in the treatment of reticulosarcomas and lymphogranulomatosis.

Combined treatment of mediastinal sarcoma is possible only with lesions of the retrosternal goiter and thymus gland. As a rule, the prognosis for sarcoma is poor, since the mortality rate of patients is high. But early diagnosis and effective treatment prolong the life of patients and combat painful symptoms.

When diagnosing sarcoma of the chest organs, the doctor’s task is to differentiate the disease in order to separate malignant tumors from benign tumor formations and complications following injuries (bursitis, myositis, hematomas).