Although rare, heart cancer occurs mainly in young people, especially men.

Tumors in the heart can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous), but about 80% of cases are benign.

Classify

Heart cancer is divided into several types:

-Sarcoma is the most common cancer of the heart, mainly affecting middle-aged people. Sarcoma is divided into smaller types including angiosarcoma and cardiac rhabdomyosarcoma.

- Cardiac angiosarcomas are tumors made up of abnormal blood vessels, accounting for nearly 40% of all cardiac sarcomas, and are more common in men than women. Sarcomas grow quickly, with a high risk of spreading (metastasizing) to other areas of the heart and elsewhere in the body.

- Cardiac rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare heart tumor that usually begins in the right atrium. The tumor can protrude into a heart chamber and block blood flow.

-Pericardial mesothelioma affects more men than women. It can restrict the movement of the heart, compressing the heart, especially when blood builds up in the sac surrounding the heart. Pericardial mesothelioma can spread to the spine, nearby soft tissues, and the brain.

-Primary cardiac lymphoma is a rare type of heart cancer that affects people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV or AIDS. It tends to progress rapidly, leading to problems such as heart failure, irregular heartbeat, and cardiac tamponade.

Reason

The exact cause of heart cancer is unknown, nor are there any known risk factors associated with this type of cancer. But heart cancer is common in young people, especially men.

Symptom

Malignant tumors in the heart can affect blood flow to the heart muscle; change blood flow through the heart to the rest of the body. They can also lead to heart failure; damage the heart's rhythm control system, causing arrhythmias; and form blood clots.

Heart tumors often do not cause symptoms when they are small. As the tumor grows, symptoms occur depending on its location, size, and extent of spread.

Some typical symptoms include:

- Congestive heart failure (a condition in which the heart muscle is weak and fluid builds up in the lungs).

- Out of breath.

- Chest pain.

- Blood clots.

- Changes in heart rate.

- Coughing up blood.

- Feeling tired, weak.

- Losing weight.

Many heart cancers grow and spread rapidly, often spreading to the lungs, lymph nodes, and liver.

Diagnosis and treatment

Cardiac tumors are identified through imaging tests such as CT scans, cardiac MRIs, and echocardiograms. The images can show the size of the tumor and its location in the heart. If malignancy is suspected, a biopsy may be performed.

Heart cancer is not common. Depending on the physical condition and the disease, the doctor will give appropriate treatment regimens. The treatment method may be surgery to remove the tumor. In case of large tumors, the patient may be advised to remove part of the heart to reduce symptoms affecting heart function.

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are also indicated in combination in many cases. Heart transplantation may also be applied for some patients with heart cancer.