Primary sarcoma of the left atrium.

Primary tumours of the heart are rare (Yater, 1931) and can present difficult diagnostic problems. Not only do they simulate valvular disease of the heart, but they are sometimes accompanied by a non-specific syndrome of fever, anemia, clubbing of the fingers and toes, hemoptysis, and a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). This may be very difficult to distinguish from subacute bacterial endocarditis, pulmonary tuberculosis, or carcinoma ofthe bronchus, and has only been described in association with benign myxomas of the left atrium (Goodwin et al., 1962). This report is of a left atrial sarcoma which presented in this way.