Congenital Heart Surgery Nomenclature and Database Project: cardiac tumors

The extant nomenclature for cardiac tumors is reviewed for the purpose of establishing a unified reporting system. The subject was debated and reviewed by members of the STS-Congenital Heart Surgery Database Committee and representatives from the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery. All efforts were made to include all relevant nomenclature categories using synonyms where appropriate. Cardiac tumors are characterized as primary, tumors which arise directly from tissues of the heart, and secondary, tumors which arise from tissues distant from the heart, with subsequent spread to the otherwise normal tissues of the heart. Tumor types are noted in the hierarchical scheme. A comprehensive database set is presented which is based on a hierarchical scheme. Data are entered at various levels of complexity and detail which can be determined by the clinician. These data can lay the foundation for comprehensive risk stratification analyses. A minimum database set is also presented which will allow for data sharing and would lend itself to basic interpretation of trends.