If you’ve been diagnosed with a cancer near the heart, you’ve probably been wondering what your treatment options will be. Many people turn to surgery, but this only buys them time. In addition, surgery only eliminates symptoms; the cure may lie at the cellular level. That’s why Ravi and Reardon have formed a “cardiac tumor group” consisting of local physicians and scientists. They meet monthly at MD Anderson, and medical school staff from across the country join by videoconference. These two physicians share their knowledge to help patients survive longer.
If the cancer is located in the valves or chambers of the heart, it may produce the symptom of heart failure. But there is another cause of heart failure – tumors that compress the heart and block the heart valves can cause the body to suffer from chronic heart failure. The affected heart can also experience shortness of breath. Swelling of the legs can also occur if the tumors affect the heart muscle. Emboli can travel to the brain, where they can cause a stroke.
Fortunately, most tumors that develop in the heart are benign. Those that become malignant are usually metastases of cancers in other organs, and the prognosis for patients with such tumors is generally poor. Fortunately, there are ways to detect early signs of heart cancer and treat it effectively. A doctor who specializes in cardiovascular surgery in Toronto is an excellent resource for diagnosis and treatment of heart tumors. It’s worth noting that the heart’s lining is made of connective tissues and muscle cells, which means that the tumors don’t grow very fast.
In addition to the surgery, doctors can also perform an invasive procedure called pericardiocentesis to drain fluid from the area around the heart. During this procedure, a thin tube called a catheter is inserted through a small cut in the chest. The catheter is then connected to a special bottle to drain fluids regularly. However, if the cancer has spread to the pericardium, it could invade an airway in the lung, which can lead to pneumonia or shortness of breath.
The two types of heart tumors are classified based on their location. Non-cancerous heart tumors are myxomas, which generally occur in the left upper chamber and develop from embryonic cells of the heart’s inner layer. Among children, the most common form of non-cancerous heart tumor is a rhabdomyoma. These tumors grow within the heart wall, and are most likely to cause a blockage in blood flow. If undiagnosed, these tumors can spread to the lungs.
Another type of cancer near the heart is hemangioma, a tumor of blood vessels. The most common type of cancer in the heart is angiosarcoma. Angiosarcoma is the most common form of adult heart cancer and originates in the lining of blood vessels. It often bulges into the atrium and spread to other parts of the body. When this occurs, the heart seems unable to heal itself.
