Twenty years experience in oncologic surgery for primary cardiac tumors
Dell'amore, A.; Albertini, A.; Lamarra, M.
Il Giornale di Chirurgia 34(4): 106-111
2013
ISSN/ISBN: 0391-9005 PMID: 23660160 Document Number: 671238
Primary cardiac tumors are uncommon in cardiac surgery. To investigate the clinical presentation, surgical results and long-term follow-up we retrospectively analyzed our experience in the treatment of primary cardiac tumors. Ninety-one patients with primary cardiac tumors underwent surgery in our department in the last 20 years. Fifty-one patients were female, the mean age was 62,2 years. Sixty-three had myxomas, 22 had papillary fibroelastoma, 4 had malignant neoformations and 2 had other benign tumors. All myxomas, fibroelastomas and angiomyolipoma were radically removed. Only a palliative treatment was possible in malignant disease. In-hospital mortality was 1.2%. The mean follow-up time was 78.5 months. Three patients had recurrence of myxoma, all patients with malignant disease dead during the follow-up. Primary benign cardiac tumors can be treated with low morbidity and mortality. The follow-up demonstrates that radical surgery is curative in case of benign tumors. The prognosis of malignant tumors is still poor. Palliative procedures have small impact on survival in these patients.