title: Surgical Treatment of Primary Cardiac Sarcomas: Review of a Single-Institution Experience.
abstract: Primary cardiac sarcomas are rare, aggressive, and usually lethal. Surgical management protocols are not defined because of the lack of extensive experience in treating these patients. In this study, we reviewed our outcomes with primary cardiac sarcoma, and we make recommendations regarding management.
  
  
  
  Review of the Houston Methodist Hospital cardiac tumor database from 1990 to 2015 (25 years) yielded 131 primary cardiac evaluations of possible cardiac sarcoma. From these we identified 95 patients who underwent surgical excision. A computer search of cardiac sarcomas yielded 131 tumors that were coded as primary cardiac sarcoma or possible primary cardiac sarcoma. Retrospective data collection and clinical outcomes were evaluated for all 95 patients. Medical records and follow-up material were requested for all patients through clinic visits and contacting the physician of the patient, the hospital record department, and the cardiac tumor board after previous approval. The procedures were performed using an institutional review board-approved cardiac tumor protocol, and the patients gave full consent.
  
  
  
  All 95 patients were diagnosed as having primary cardiac sarcoma by histologic appearance. Age ranged from 15 to 84 years at the time of presentation (mean, 44 years). Male patients made up 57% of the sample. The most common site for the cardiac sarcoma was the right atrium (37 patients) followed by the left atrium (31 patients). Postoperative 1-year mortality was 35% (33 patients). The most common tumor histologic type was angiosarcoma (40%) followed by spindle cell sarcoma (11%).
  
  
  
  Primary cardiac sarcoma is a rare but lethal disease. Surgical intervention is associated with acceptable surgical mortality in this high-risk group of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Basel
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ramlawi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Monika J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Leja
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Walid K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Abu Saleh
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Odeaa
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Al Jabbari
authors.affiliation: Department of Sarcoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benjamin
authors.affiliation: Department of Sarcoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Vinod
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ravi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Haddasah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Oz M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Shapira
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Shanda H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Blackmon
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Bruckner
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas. Electronic address: mreardon@houstonmethodist.org.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Reardon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult