# Case Report: Metastasis of low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma to the inferior vena cava and right atrium: a case of successful one-stage surgical resection with favorable early outcome

**Authors:** Jinglian Tu, Xiaopei Xu, Fengbo Huang

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fradi.2025.1723859 · Frontiers in Radiology · 2026-01-07

## TL;DR

A rare case of low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma spreading to the heart and major vein was successfully treated with a single surgery, leading to a good recovery.

## Contribution

This case demonstrates the successful one-stage surgical resection of LGESS metastasis to the inferior vena cava and right atrium.

## Key findings

- Multimodal imaging accurately staged LGESS with metastasis to the IVC and right atrium.
- One-stage surgical resection achieved complete removal of the tumor and cardiac thrombi with no residual disease.
- The patient had an uneventful recovery and began adjuvant therapy post-surgery.

## Abstract

Low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LGESS) is a rare uterine malignancy; metastasis to the inferior vena cava (IVC) and right atrium is exceptionally rare and presents significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. We report the case of a 37-year-old woman presenting with progressive abdominal mass enlargement, palpitations, and dyspnea. She had undergone a hysteroscopic resection for presumed uterine myoma one year prior, which was subsequently re-evaluated as LGESS. Multimodal imaging comprising 18F-FDG PET/CT, MRI, CT, and echocardiography was implemented for systemic staging and hemodynamic assessment, then revealed a solid uterine mass involving the adnexa (FIGO Stage IVB) and identified hypermetabolic tumor thrombi extending from the IVC into the right atrium and pulmonary arteries. A coordinated one-stage radical resection was performed, involving total hysterectomy and removal of intracardiac thrombi under cardiopulmonary bypass. Postoperative pathology and immunohistochemistry confirmed LGESS (CD10+, ER+, PR+) with extensive lymphovascular invasion. The patient recovered uneventfully with no residual disease on follow-up and commenced adjuvant letrozole therapy. This case highlights the necessity of multimodal imaging for accurate staging of complex vascular involvement and demonstrates that aggressive one-stage surgical management is a viable strategy to achieve locoregional control and favorable early outcomes for advanced LGESS with cardiac metastasis.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** letrozole (PubChem CID 3902)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** MME (membrane metalloendopeptidase) [NCBI Gene 4311] {aka CALLA, CD10, CMT2T, NEP, SCA43, SFE}, PGR (progesterone receptor) [NCBI Gene 5241] {aka NR3C3, PR}, EREG (epiregulin) [NCBI Gene 2069] {aka EPR, ER, Ep}
- **Diseases:** Metastasis (MESH:D009362), palpitations (MESH:D006331), abdominal mass (MESH:D000007), uterine myoma (MESH:D009214), LGESS (MESH:D036821), uterine (MESH:D014591), dyspnea (MESH:D004417), tumor thrombi (MESH:D009369)
- **Chemicals:** letrozole (MESH:D000077289), 18F-FDG (MESH:D019788)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

_Full body text omitted from this summary view._ Fetch the complete paper as Markdown: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12819723/full.md

## Figures

3 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12819723/full.md

## References

30 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12819723/full.md

---
Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12819723