Cardiac and Pericardial Tumors

Primary cardiac tumors of the heart present often as a clinical dilemma and need to be considered in the differential diagnosis of other cardiovascular diseases. They are infrequent and often asymptomatic. Occasionally, the tumors may be life threatening. Secondary involvement of the heart by extracardiac tumors is much more common. Benign tumors constitute 80% of primary cardiac neoplasms, with myxomas as the most common type. This review describes the pathology, clinical presentation, and treatment of both benign and malignant tumors of both the heart and the pericardium.