[A survey of heart tumors: clinical and echocardiographic approach]

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Oncology
• Pathology

Background:

• Heart tumors encompass primary growths, direct extensions, and distant metastases.
• Myxomas are the most common primary benign cardiac tumors; primary malignant tumors are rare and typically sarcomatous.
• Secondary heart tumors frequently originate from lung, breast, or hematological malignancies, often involving the pericardium.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of cardiac tumors, including their origins, classifications, clinical presentations, diagnostic methods, and therapeutic strategies.
• To highlight the distinct characteristics and management approaches for primary benign, primary malignant, and secondary heart tumors.
• To emphasize the challenges in diagnosing and treating cardiac malignancies due to non-specific symptoms and late presentation.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on cardiac tumors, encompassing primary and secondary types.
• Analysis of diagnostic modalities such as echocardiography, MRI, and CT scans.
• Evaluation of surgical and chemotherapeutic treatment strategies for various cardiac tumor types.

Main Results:

• Primary benign tumors, like myxomas, generally have favorable prognoses after surgical resection.
• Primary malignant heart tumors are rare, often sarcomatous, with incomplete surgical resection and short survival rates even with adjuvant therapy.
• Secondary heart tumors are common, frequently metastasizing to the pericardium, and typically managed symptomatically.

Conclusions:

• Cardiac tumors present a complex clinical challenge due to varied origins and often non-specific symptoms.
• Timely diagnosis through imaging modalities is crucial for appropriate management, with surgery being key for benign tumors.
• Treatment strategies for malignant and metastatic cardiac tumors require individualized approaches, often yielding limited survival benefits.