Heart Cancer - Types, Symptoms & Treatment

The heart is the primary organ of the human circulatory system. Heart cancer can start from tumours such as angiosarcoma and grow into life-threatening conditions for human beings. This condition mainly occurs due to overgrowth of cells near the heart.

This article will give you a detailed account of the various types of heart cancers, their symptoms and the process for treating them!

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What Is Heart Cancer?

Although rare, heart cancer can be fatal. Most heart tumours are not cancerous, while a few of them can be. When cancer starts and spreads from the heart cells, it is called primary cardiac cancer. It is usually rare since the heart comprises several connective muscle cells and tissues, which hardly turn over quickly. It makes the heart cells resistant to turning cancerous.

On the other hand, when the cancerous cells in other body parts can spread to reach near the heart and cause heart cancer, it is called metastatic cancer. This type is more common than primary cardiac cancer. Commonly, this starts from lungs, bones, brain, lungs and liver, spreading to the heart cells.

What Are the Different Types of Heart Cancer?

Heart cancer is a diverse disease, as the heart is responsible for controlling various human body functions. Therefore, one should identify the different types of heart cancer that are prone to occur in the human body.

Myxoma

It is usually a benign (non-cancerous) heart tumour occurring on the upper part of the heart. Maximum primary heart tumours are Myxomas. Commonly, these are seen in women between 40 and 60 years of age and can be inherited through family.

Primary Cardiac Lymphoma

A rare form of malignancy, primary cardiac lymphoma involves only the heart and pericardium without extra-cardiac organs. Abnormalities such as atrial arrhythmias and AV blocks are common in this disease. The treatment normally follows multiagent, anthracycline-based chemotherapy.

Pericardial Mesothelioma

Another extremely rare form of cancer, pericardial mesothelioma, occurs on the pericardium. It does not occur because of metastasis from other body parts. However, limited research shows risks generated from radiation exposure, tuberculosis, erionite exposure, Simian virus 40 exposures etc.

Angiosarcoma

A rare type of cancer, angiosarcoma usually forms in the lining of blood and lymph vessels. Most commonly, it occurs in the right atrium, interfering in the functions of the neighbouring organs. It often results in pericardial effusion, heart failure and cardiac tamponade. Surgical treatment can be the only way out of this.

What Are the Different Symptoms of Heart Cancer?

Malignant heart tumours usually tend to grow rapidly. As a result, it can invade some of the essential parts of the body, thereby disrupting their functions. The following list shows some common heart cancer symptoms, which one should not neglect at any cost.

Fever and chills, fatigue, night sweating, weight loss, and joint pain.
Blood flow obstruction, causing fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain and dizziness.
Heart muscle dysfunction, causing swollen legs, chest pain, and weakness and breathing shortage.
Heart conduction blockage, with slow or fast heartbeats, faint or fatigue, leading to cardiac arrest.
Embolus or blood clots travelling from heart to lungs, brain arm or legs.

Heart cancer can be hard to diagnose since it is scarce, and some of the symptoms are generic in nature. Doctors generally use some tests to examine the patients, Echocardiogram being one of these. It mainly records the heartbeat sound to create a picture of the functions of the heart.

Other tests include CT scans and MRI. While the former helps identify benign and malignant tumours, the latter provides more details on the size and location of the tumours. Doctors can plan the treatment accordingly.

Who Is at Risk of Mainly Getting Heart Cancer?

Heart cancer is not limited to people in specific age groups. People above 60 years, young children and women are all at risk for getting heart cancer. Commonly, heart cancer causes arise from high doses of anthracyclines, the experience of high-dose radiation therapy, history of high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and health problems, etc.

The risks of heart cancer are moderate, considering how rare it is in terms of occurrence. However, patients developing this kind of cancer might have multiple risks and threats. In young patients, it has a dismal prognosis. About 10% of the patients develop a 9-12 months survival rate without surgical resection. Among the adults, about 46% experience a survival rate of one year, and 22% face 3-year survival. The significant risks include cardiac arrests causing death.

What Are the Treatment Processes for Heart Cancer?

The process of heart cancer treatment can be a complicated one. As it is so rare in nature, there are no specific treatment plans from physicians. However, some of the usual treatment plans used in the healthcare centres are as follows.

Chemotherapy is conducted to attack the affected cells and control the symptoms.
Radiation therapy is also given for the same purpose, and sometimes doctors blend it with chemotherapy for faster results.
Surgeries for removing cancerous parts and heart transplantations might be conducted in severe conditions of selected patients.
Physical therapy helps strengthen the body, reduce fatigue and improve the overall functional abilities of the organs.
Some complementary treatments may include acupuncture, massage therapy, nutritious diet supplements and yoga.

Thus, it is evident that treating heart cancer is essential. Failure to diagnose and treat it effectively can cause various complications. Instances of heart failure, arrhythmias and pericarditis are not rare in such cases. Moreover, it leads to irregular heart rhythms and strokes among older adults.

What Are the Preventive Measures Against Heart Cancer?

The research level regarding heart cancer is still limited, considering the rare occurrence. However, if you are trying to prevent cancer, the following tips can be helpful, as commonly recommended by physicians.

Opt for a Healthy Diet

A healthy balanced diet can be useful, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and proteins. In addition, individuals should reduce processed meat and alcohol consumption. Eating limited high-calorie food helps individuals maintain a healthy weight, which can prevent heart cancer.

Limit the Consumption of Tobacco

Tobacco consumption has strong connections with cancer. Even exposure to passive smoking increases the chances of heart cancer. Thus, avoiding it and trying to quit smoking can be helpful.

Go for Regular Healthcare Check-ups

If you find similar symptoms as heart cancer, self-examinations and screenings in healthcare settings can help diagnose it faster. In addition, it helps to increase heart cancer life expectancy among the patients.

What Is the Survival Rate for Post Heart Cancer Diagnosis?

Patients diagnosed with heart cancer can have various survival rates, which determine their long-term outlook. The average life expectancy of the patients after the diagnosis is generally six months without any surgical treatment. When surgery is possible, it increases to one year. However, a complete cure for heart cancer is yet to be discovered. The long-term outlook is therefore not favourable for the patients.