Cancer near the heart will be difficult to treat and often won’t be detected until it has spread to other areas of the heart. This is because primary heart tumors grow rapidly and invade important heart structures. Unfortunately, most primary heart tumors go undetected until they have become large and are no longer curable through surgery. Treatment may include chemotherapy or radiation therapy, which can help to relieve symptoms and sometimes slow tumor growth. Unfortunately, palliative care for cancer near the heart is not effective.
The best way to determine if you have a heart tumor is to consult your doctor. While most heart tumors are benign, some of them are cancerous. Among adults, the most common form of heart cancer is angiosarcoma. Angiosarcomas are tumors that originate in the lining of blood vessels and then multiply to form irregular masses. Sometimes these tumors bulge into the atrium and can spread to adjacent structures.
The symptoms of cancer near the heart vary from person to person. Depending on the type and location of the tumour, symptoms can range from mild to severe and may mimic other conditions, such as heart failure. Symptoms can also include shortness of breath, high fever, and chest pain. Malignant pericardial effusion occurs when metastatic lesions from cancer near the heart invade the pericardium. This fluid decreases the heart’s ability to pump blood and can result in breathing problems.
Treatment options for cardiac tumors vary widely. While initial tumor staging does not detect these metastases, cardiac tumors can often develop years after the cancer is diagnosed. Consequently, it is crucial to undergo early detection of these cancers and treatment to prevent the progression of the condition. These secondary heart tumors may affect other areas of the body, including the brain and the spinal cord. You should also seek medical attention if you think you might have cardiac metastasis.
Fortunately, this type of cancer is uncommon and rarely deadly. It’s most common among infants, but if it grows into the heart, treatment options are more limited. Surgery will remove the teratoma to rule out further growth of more serious tumors. If the cancer grows into the airway, it can block the blood flow to the heart and cause pneumonia and shortness of breath. Thankfully, radiation therapy and other medical treatments can relieve the symptoms of this condition.
If the cancer has spread to the lungs, brain, or heart, cardiac sarcoma patients can expect it to return. Patients with negative margins typically have the cancer in the lungs, brain, and heart. Although the surgery may seem easy, the invasiveness of cardiac sarcoma surgery makes it difficult for many patients. The risks are not worth the potential for permanent damage. But if you do suffer from this type of cancer, you should schedule an early surgery.
