Clinicopathologic review of non-myxoma cardiac tumors: a 10-year single-center experience

Abstract

Objective: To report the prevalence, clinical presentation and histological characteristics of non-myxoma cardiac tumors in a major tertiary heart center.

Method: Review of the medical profiles of 36,930 patients admitted to our hospital between 2003 and 2013 yielded a total of 86 cases of cardiac tumors (63 cases of myxomas and 23 cases of non-myxoma tumors). Clinical presentations and histological features were presented exclusively for primary and secondary tumors.

Results: Of 23 enrolled patients with non-myxoma tumors, 5 had primary tumors and 18 had secondary or metastatic tumors. The most frequent origins of the secondary tumors were breast cancer, lymphoma, leukemia and lung cancer. Most secondary tumors had pericardial involvement, and only one tumor involved the left atrium. Sarcomas, including spindle-cell sarcoma and liposarcoma, comprised the majority of the primary malignant tumors. None of these tumors had pericardial involvement, and, except for one case, all were confined to the left side of the heart. All patients were symptomatic on admission, with dyspnea being the most frequent presenting symptom.

Conclusion: Metastatic cardiac tumors were more prevalent than the primary ones, with fibromas constituting the largest proportion of the primary tumors and breast cancer being the prevalent cause of metastasis.