Synovial sarcomas usually occur in the soft tissues of the extremities of adolescents and middle-aged patients, in the vicinity of large joints. We present a patient with a synovial sarcoma of the left atrium and ventricle, which is an extremely rare location. Diagnosis was confirmed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), showing the t(X;18) fusion transcript. With a multicolor COmbined Binary RAtio labeling Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (COBRA-FISH) technique, a complex karyotype evolved with identification of derivative chromosomes with multiplex rearrangements. This underscores the importance of molecular analyis of spindle cell tumors in unusual locations. Moreover, it shows that the presumed diagnostic translocation t(X;18) can be embedded in a sequence of other chromosomal rearrangements of which the function is as yet unknown.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.