Cardiac tumours

Abstract

Primary cardiac tumours are relatively rare and outnumbered by the incidence of metastatic disease within the heart. There are a number of conditions that occur in childhood but the majority arise in adults, are benign and predominantly myxomas. Sarcomas are largely classified on a similar basis to their soft tissue counterparts and have a poor prognosis. Arising within the circulation, they may first manifest with obstructive symptoms within the heart or distant embolic phenomena. A number of conditions may only be identified in the setting of a post-mortem examination and may be implicated in sudden cardiac deaths.