A Case of Giant Primary Pleuropulmonary Synovial Sarcoma

Abstract
Synovial sarcomas represent an extremely rare subtype of an already rare group of malignancies, soft tissue sarcomas. Among these, primary pulmonary synovial sarcomas comprise an even smaller number, though they have become more frequently reported in the literature. This case report details a case of giant primary pulmonary synovial sarcoma in a 44-year-old male patient who presented with left-sided chest pain and shortness of breath and was found to have a large left-sided pleural effusion. No malignant cells were demonstrated on cytology of pleural fluid after thoracentesis; however, CT-guided needle biopsy of pleural nodules seen on imaging demonstrated pathologic features consistent with monophasic type synovial sarcoma. He was treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with minimal response; thus, he was referred for surgical management. A left extrapleural pneumonectomy with resection of the left hemi-diaphragm and Gore-Tex prosthetic reconstruction was performed. Imaging at six-month follow-up demonstrated a new nodule in the contralateral lung, suggestive of metastasis at that time and the patient later developed ascites at nine months, consistent with further intra-abdominal metastasis. Perhaps early diagnosis and aggressive multimodality therapy may have a place in the treatment of this aggressive disease.