Case of the Season: Intravenous Leiomyomatosis: a Rare Cause of Intracardiac Mass

Clinical features and prognostic factors analysis of intravenous leiomyomatosis

Background

The treatment and prognostic factors of intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) remain lacking systematic evidence.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted on IVL patients from the Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and IVL cases were published in PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library databases. Descriptive statistics were used for the basic characteristics of patients. The Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to assess the high-risk factors related to the progression-free survival (PFS). The comparison of survival curves was performed by Kaplan-Meier analysis.

Results

A total of 361 IVL patients were included in this study, 38 patients from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and 323 patients from the published literature. Age ≤45 years was observed in 173 (47.9%) patients. According to the clinical staging criteria, stage I/II was observed in 125 (34.6%) patients, and stage III/IV was observed in 221 (61.2%) patients. Dyspnea, orthopnea, and cough were observed in 108 (29.9%) patients. Completed tumor resection was observed in 216 (59.8%) patients, and uncompleted tumor resection was observed in 58 (16.1%) patients. Median follow-up period was 12 months (range 0-194 months), and 68 (18.8%) recurrences or deaths were identified. The adjusted multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis showed age ≤45 years (vs. >45) (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15-3.80, p = 0.016), and uncompleted tumor resection (vs. completed tumor resection) (HR = 22.03, 95% CI 8.31-58.36, p < 0.001) were high-risk factors related to the PFS.

Conclusion

Patients with IVL have a high probability of recurrence after surgery and a poor prognosis. Patients younger than 45 years and with uncompleted tumor resection are at higher risk of postoperative recurrence or death.

Gynecologists Need to Be Vigilant—Two Case Reports of Intravascular Leiomyomatosis and Literature Review

Background

Intravascular leiomyomatosis is a rare benign lesion with malignant potential. The cases are sporadic. Most patients have no clinical symptoms, and the preoperative diagnostic rate is low. Case 1 was misdiagnosed, passively managed during operation, recurred quickly, and underwent a secondary operation. We learned lessons from case 1 and treated the case 2 patient differently. The case 2 patient had a good prognosis. We hope the report will be helpful to other gynecologists.

Case Summary

Case 1: a 49-year-old woman complained of dysmenorrhea. Traditional ultrasound showed adenomyosis and a solid mass 6 * 3 cm in the right appendix. After routine examination, the patient underwent transabdominal total hysterectomy + bilateral salpingectomy + IVL tumor resection, with both ovaries kept. No medication was used after operation. Routine ultrasound was performed every 3 months. The disease recurred, and the patient underwent a secondary surgery 9 months after the first time. So far, 25 months after the secondary surgery, there is no sign of recurrence. Case 2: a 41-year-old woman underwent a routine body examination, where a left adnexal mass 7 cm was found. The patient underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasonography and was diagnosed and prepared well preoperatively. The patient underwent transabdominal total hysterectomy + bilateral salpingectomy + IVL tumor resection. GnRH-a drugs were used after operation for 3 cycle. Now, there is no sign of recurrence after operation for 23 months.

Conclusion

The incidence rate of IVL is low, and there are no typical clinical symptoms. It is easy to be ignored by gynecologists. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound is helpful to diagnose preoperatively and reduce misdiagnosis. Good preparation, full exploration of the pelvic and abdominal vessels, removal of lesions completely as much as possible, and anti-estrogen therapy after operation can reduce the recurrence of disease.