What is Heart Cancer?
Heart cancer is a very rare kind of cancer which arises in inner tissue or muscles of the heart.
Heart cancer can be further divided in two types depending upon the source of origin of the cancer.
Primary Tumor- which primarily arises in the tissue of the heart and the source of tumor is in the heart tissue itself.
Secondary Tumor- Is a kind of tumor which have origin some where else but it spreads to heart due to metastasis.
Incident of heart cancer is very rare- incidence is only .1%
Most heart tumors are benign myxomas, fibromas, rhabdomyomas, and hamartomas, although malignant sarcomas (such as angiosarcoma or cardiac sarcoma) have been known to occur.
More then 70% of the primary tumors of heart are Myxomas which is nothing but tumor arising from connective tissue of heart, Myxomas are usually located in left and right atrium. Shape of myxomas is pedunculated ie. It have a stalk on which the tumor grows. This stalk is attached to the interatrial septum in fosa ovalis region.
How is heart Cancer Diagnosed-
Heart cancer is fist diagnosed by listening to heart sounds. Myxoma produces an extra heart sound which is produced after S2.
Doctor may advise for Echocardiography, in which it is seen as pedunculated mass which is heterogeneous in appearance.
Increase in pulmonary arterial wedge pressure is indication of myxoma of left atrium.
Life expectancy-
Bening tumors of heart are not so lethal by direct nature but its presence creates problem in electrical signals and flow of blood. There is also a chance of emboli formation due to the tumor. It can be corrected surgically.
Malignant Tumors have grave prognosis and person is not expected to live more than 2 years after the diagnosis of the disease.
Heart cancer is a very rare kind of cancer which arises in inner tissue or muscles of the heart.
Heart cancer can be further divided in two types depending upon the source of origin of the cancer.
Primary Tumor- which primarily arises in the tissue of the heart and the source of tumor is in the heart tissue itself.
Secondary Tumor- Is a kind of tumor which have origin some where else but it spreads to heart due to metastasis.
Incident of heart cancer is very rare- incidence is only .1%
Most heart tumors are benign myxomas, fibromas, rhabdomyomas, and hamartomas, although malignant sarcomas (such as angiosarcoma or cardiac sarcoma) have been known to occur.
More then 70% of the primary tumors of heart are Myxomas which is nothing but tumor arising from connective tissue of heart, Myxomas are usually located in left and right atrium. Shape of myxomas is pedunculated ie. It have a stalk on which the tumor grows. This stalk is attached to the interatrial septum in fosa ovalis region.
How is heart Cancer Diagnosed-
Heart cancer is fist diagnosed by listening to heart sounds. Myxoma produces an extra heart sound which is produced after S2.
Doctor may advise for Echocardiography, in which it is seen as pedunculated mass which is heterogeneous in appearance.
Increase in pulmonary arterial wedge pressure is indication of myxoma of left atrium.
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| Animated image of an MRI of the heart, showing a large myxoma plunging to and fro from atrium to ventricle across the mitral valve. Source: en.wikipedia |
Bening tumors of heart are not so lethal by direct nature but its presence creates problem in electrical signals and flow of blood. There is also a chance of emboli formation due to the tumor. It can be corrected surgically.
Malignant Tumors have grave prognosis and person is not expected to live more than 2 years after the diagnosis of the disease.