Cardiac Tumors and Masses

Expert heart tumor care from the first cardio-oncology Program in Baltimore/Washington, D.C.

Cardiac tumors and masses either can start growing in the heart (primary) or elsewhere in the body and travel to the heart (secondary). If your tumor turns out to be heart cancer, the expert care team in our Cardio-oncology Program will work closely with your oncologist to ensure your heart is protected during and after cancer treatment.

Most cardiac tumors are benign, or noncancerous. Benign tumors usually do not cause symptoms until they become large and may block blood flow in the heart or break into pieces and float elsewhere in the body. In rare occasions they can cause heart attacks, atrial fibrillation or strokes.

Are there different types of heart tumors?

Primary heart tumors affect as few as 1 in 100,000 people, most of them women. Of these rare tumors, the most common type is myxoma. Most myxomas are caused by excess cell growth in the heart. Myxomas can be hereditary or can develop because of another disease, such as Carney syndrome, NAME syndrome or LAMB syndrome.

Secondary heart tumors are more common. These tumors migrate to the heart after starting to grow in another organ, such as the lungs, breast, kidneys, liver or colon. Sometimes secondary tumors are related to skin, lymph node or blood cancers.

What are the symptoms of cardiac tumors?

Cardiac tumors usually don’t cause noticeable symptoms until blood flow is blocked. In fact, tumors in the heart often are found by chance during imaging tests for other health concerns.

If blood flow is blocked in the top left part of the heart (the left atrium), you may experience:

• Coughing
• Joint pain
• Lightheadedness
• Shortness of breath

When tumor or an abnormal mass is found in the heart it is very important to establish a correct diagnosis. Advanced imaging tests and sometimes heart biopsy may be recommended.

Phone number in DC area — 202-877-7777; in Baltimore area — 410-554-6550.

Tests

Treatments

Open heart surgery to remove the heart tumor is generally the preferred treatment. Whether your doctor recommends surgery will depend on your overall health, the size of your tumor and whether it causes symptoms. Our heart surgeons perform a variety of procedures, including minimally invasive options.