title: Cardiac Tumors: Clinical Perspective and Therapeutic Considerations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac tumors rare cardiac disorders with an overall incidence rate < 0.33%. Cardiac tumors can be classified as primary or secondary depending on the origins of tumors. Primary cardiac tumors (5% incidence) are rare compared with the secondary (95%, metastases of the heart) cardiac tumors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Given that cardiac tumors exhibit some nonspecific symptoms compared with other heart diseases, clinical diagnosis of cardiac tumors is rather challenging. Thus we will try to review the classification and pathogenesis of cardiac tumors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current evidence revealed that 75% of cardiac tumors are considered benign (myxoma, fibromas, lipomas, rhabdomyomas, hemangiomas, teratomas, papillary fibroelastomas, pericardial cysts or cystic tumor of atrioventricular node). Clinical differential diagnosis of cardiac tumors is mainly based on imaging techniques including transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms, computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs). This mini-review tries to summarize recent understanding of the pathogenesis and therapeutics of cardiac tumors.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cardiovascular Research and Alternative Medicine, School of Pharmacy, University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences, Laramie, WY 82071, United States.
authors.forename: Dylan Y
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Center for Cardiovascular Research and Alternative Medicine, School of Pharmacy, University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences, Laramie, WY 82071, United States.
authors.forename: Nathan D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Fuller
authors.affiliation: Center for Cardiovascular Research and Alternative Medicine, School of Pharmacy, University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences, Laramie, WY 82071, United States.
authors.forename: Sara A B
authors.initials: SAB
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and Department of Cardiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
authors.forename: Yingmei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D004452:Echocardiography; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Heart; benign; malignant; pathogenesis; therapeutics; tumors