Management of Primary Pulmonary Artery Sarcomas

The objective of this review is to determine the outcome of patients with sarcomas involving the main pulmonary artery, pulmonic valve, or right ventricular outflow tract. Survival data were analyzed using an aggregate series derived from the published literature in conjunction with a current series. Median survival was 36.5 +/- 20.2 months for patients undergoing an attempt at curative resection compared with 11 +/- 3 months for those undergoing incomplete resection. Median survival was 24.7 +/- 8.5 months for patients undergoing multimodality treatment compared with 8.0 +/- 1.7 months for patients having single-modality therapy. A complete review of diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and surveillance of primary pulmonary artery sarcomas follows. ( Ann Thorac Surg 2009; 87: 977-84) (C) 2009 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons