Primary neoplasms of the heart. Clinical and histological presentation of 50 cases

• Published in: Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia 2001-03, Vol.76 (3), p.231-237
• Main Authors: Fernandes, F, Soufen, H N, Ianni, B M, Arteaga, E, Ramires, F J, Mady, C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; CARDIAC & CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS; cardiac tumor; Child; Female; Heart Neoplasms - diagnosis; Heart Neoplasms - pathology; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; myxoma; Myxoma - diagnosis; Myxoma - pathology; Retrospective Studies
• ISSN: 0066-782X; 1678-4170; 0066-782X; 1678-4170
• DOI: 10.1590/S0066-782X2001000300006

To analyze clinical and histologic findings of 50 patients with primary neoplasms of the heart in a tertiary referral center. From 1980 to 1998, we retrospectively analyzed 50 patients, 32 of whom were females, whose ages ranged from 9 to 73 years (mean age = 44.16+/-18 years). Most tumors were located in the left side of the heart (72%), myxoma being the most common (84%) histologic type. The other histologic types found were as follows: fibroma (4%), lipoma (2%), rhabdomyosarcoma (2%), hemangioma (2%), sarcoma (2%), angiosarcoma (2%), and lymphoma (2%). Diagnosis was established by echocardiography in 94% of the cases. Clinical findings were as follows: dyspnea (36%), weight loss (20%), palpitations (18%), chest pain (16%), fever (8%), and arthralgia (6%). All patients with thromboembolic phenomena (10%) had left atrial myxoma. Approximately 20% of the patients were asymptomatic at the initial clinical assessment. Primary cardiac tumors are a rare entity with diverse clinical and histologic findings, requiring, therefore, a high level of clinical suspicion.