Archive for November, 2007

True! Though very rare this is possible too! The Heart cancer!

Fortunately the vast majority of heart tumors are noncancerous or benign.

Many researches have been performed to find the probability of the heart cancer, its occurrences and prevalence.

A 20-year review conducted in Hong Kong shows that 12,487 consecutive autopsies identified only seven cases of cardiac tumor which is reflected as less than 0.1%. Convincingly most of which were benign.

Benign tumors of the heart include rhabdomyomas, hamartomas, myxomas and fibromas. Cancerous (malignant) tumors of the heart are most often sarcomas which lead to this disease.

Cancer can spread to the heart, occasionally, such as from lymphomas that originate in the structures of the chest near the heart. Melanomas and sarcomas are the other cancers that can spread to the heart. Surgical removal of heart tumors is the treatment.

Cautious! This disease can affect the heart in other ways, such as stiffening of the heart muscle (cardiac fibrosis) or causing damage to the heart valves (marantic endocarditis). Cancer treatments can also affect the heart.