Cardiac tumors represent an unusual clinical problem in that they are often discovered as an incidental finding during a routine echocardiogram or in the course of a work-up for a source of embolism. Malignant tumors of the heart are either defined as primary or metastatic from an extra-cardiac primary sourceregardless, the prognosis is poor. However, there are several cardiac tumors that are characterized as being non-malignant with regard to their tumor biology, but their tendencies to cause embolic or obstructive complications can be just as catastrophic despite a lack of invasiveness or potential to metastasize. The purpose of this chapter is to review the common types of non-malignant cardiac tumors with regard to their incidence, presentation, potential for complications, and management-with emphasis on surgical indications and techniques. 2 delineated as malignant and non-malignant with malignant tumors being either primary (i.e., cardiac sarcomas) or metastatic (i.e., breast carcinoma). They are distinguished from non-malignant tumors, such as myxomas and fibroelastomas, in that the latter, despite the pathologic implications of growth (i.e., valvular obstruction) and systemic embolism, lack true metastatic potential. Nevertheless, non-malignant cardiac tumors can be clinically devastating (i.e., malignant) by their tendency to cause potentially devastating, and occasionally fatal, embolic complications [5].
MethodsThe focus of this review is on non-malignant tumors. The review methods consisted of Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com) and PubMed (https:// www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/) searches with emphasis on the following key words: cardiac tumors, benign cardiac masses, myxomas, fibroelastomas, and fibromas. Additional associated search terms included: surgery, diagnosis, imaging, and management. Selected references, including manuscript abstracts and full texts, were reviewed for relevance in the context of this review.
