Primary Cardiac Tumors: Experience at the University of Minnesota

Abstract

A review of all primary cardiac tumors seen at the University of Minnesota or entered in the Registry of Cardiovascular Disease, affiliated with the University of Minnesota, between 1959 and 1989. Of a total of 124 primary cardiac tumors, 103 (83%) were benign and 21 (17%) were malignant. Atrial myxomas (51 cases) accounted for 42% of all tumors and 50% of benign neoplasias. The remaining 51 benign tumors were, in order of frequency: rhabdomyomas, 14 (13%), papillomas, 12 (11%), fibromas, 9 (9%), hamartomas, (4%), teratomas (2%), lipomas (2%), mesotheliomas (2%), fibroelastomas, hemangiomas, glomangiomas, and a few others. The 21 malignant tumors, all sarcomas, were, in order of frequency: rhabdomyosarcomas, 6 (29%), angiosarcomas, 4 (19%), myxosarcomas, 3 (14%), fibrosarcomas, 2 (10%), and one each leiomyosarcoma, reticulum cell sarcoma, and liposarcoma. There were 3 cases of spindle cell sarcoma (14%) originating in the great vessels: 1 in the pulmonary artery and 2 in the aorta. The prognosis of the resected benign tumors was good, with no complications of recurrences for up to 15 years of follow-up. Tumors that could not be excised included mostly rhabdomyomas, in newborns, and cavernous hemangiomas involving most of the heart, with poor prognosis. Malignant tumors of the heart had a very poor prognosis, even when operated on promptly after diagnosis. The mean survival time of these patients was 5 months after resection, even when followed with chemotherapy and/or radiation; 26% of the tumors had already metastasized at the time of operation. Extensive resections in malignant tumors did not render satisfactory results.

Surgical Treatment of Primary Cardiac Tumors

“…To clarify the current clinical characteristics of primary cardiac tumors, other series on surgery for primary cardiac tumors were researched in the English literature. 3,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] For this purpose, we researched studies on cardiac myxomas only; other specific tumors, pericardial tumors or metastatic cardiac tumors were excluded.…”

Clinical and Histopathological Analysis of 66 Cases with Cardiac Myxoma

“…Its incidence accounts for about 0.3% of patients with cardiac surgery. In cardiac tumors, the cardiac myxomas (CMs) are most common accounting for about 50% (Molina et al, 1990;Elbardissi et al, 2008;Tasoglu et al, 2009). The annual incidence rate is 0.5/per million, always in adults aged 30 to 60.…”

A Large Left Atrial Myxoma – A Case Report

“…10 In a large single institutional series of primary cardiac tumours, 42% are cardiac myxoma. 11 Proportion of myxoma in comparison of other cardiac tumours was increased to 77%. The mean age of presentation with sporadic myxoma is 56 years.…”