Surgical Treatment of Cardiac Tumors: A Single Institutional Experience Over 12 Years

Introduction: Tumors of the heart represent an exceedinglyrare entity in cardiac surgery and literature regardingmanagement and outcome is less in comparison to other fieldsof cardiac surgery. 12 years of our experience in both diagnosisand optimal surgical treatment of this small but rare collectionof patients was formed into a detailed analysis of patientprognosis, mean survival and risk of tumor relapse matchedto the corresponding pathology. The overall objective of thepresent study was a thorough characterization of both primarycardiac tumor or tumor like mass and secondary malignanttumor mass in cardiac chambers, their nature as well as ageand gender distribution and management.Material and methods: 17 patients with cardiac tumors,who underwent open-heart surgery at Medical College andHospitals, Kolkata, for tumor excision between 2007 and2019 were analyzed retrospectively. Mean follow-up wasfrom 11 to 1 years.Results: There were 2 males and 15 female patients rangingin age from 7 years to 60 years, median age being 47 years.12 of these tumors were primary left atrial myxoma, 2 wereright atrial myxoma, 1 was right ventricular fibroma, 1 wasintravenous extension into right atrium of renal cell carcinomaand 1 was multiple inflammatory pseudo tumors in leftventricle. Overall operative survival was 88.3%. Operativemortality was 11.7%.Conclusion: Cardiac tumors remain challenging in theclinical setting. Early operation is recommended afterechocardiographic diagnosis as such patients can have suddendeath or severe cardiac failure during preoperative waitingperiod. Follow up should be maintained based upon thehistopathological diagnosis.