Korean J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg.  2020 Dec;53(6):361-367. 10.5090/kjtcs.20.061.

Surgical Outcomes of Malignant Primary Cardiac Tumor:A 20-Year Study at a Single Center

• Ryu SW
• Jeon BB
• Kim HJ
• Kim JB
• Jung SH
• Choo SJ
• Chung CH
• Lee JW

• KMID: 2509407
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5090/kjtcs.20.061

Abstract

Background
Malignant primary cardiac tumors are extremely rare, but have a poor prognosis. This study evaluated the surgical outcomes of patients with this disease.
Methods
Forty patients who underwent surgery for malignant primary cardiac tumors between January 1998 and December 2018 were enrolled. Participants were divided into 3 groups based on resection margins (R0, 14 patients; R1, 11 patients; and R2, 11 patients) and their surgical outcomes were compared. Heart transplantation was performed in 4 patients with unresectable tumors.
Results
Early mortality was reported in 2 cases (5%) due to postoperative bleeding and cerebral hemorrhage secondary to brain metastasis. The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 67.5% and 42.5%, respectively. The median survival time of the patients was 20.3 months (range, 9.2–37.6 months). The median survival time was 48.7, 20.3, and 4.8 months in patients with R0, R1, and R2 resections, respectively (p=0.023). Tumor recurrence occurred in 21 patients (61.7%), including 4 cases of local recurrence and 17 cases of distant metastasis. In patients who underwent heart transplantation, the median survival time was 29.5 months, with 3 cases of distant metastasis.
Conclusion
Although surgery for malignant primary cardiac tumors has a poor prognosis, complete resection of the tumor may improve surgical outcomes.

Keyword

Heart neoplasms; Sarcoma; Malignant tumor