25 years of experience with cardiac tumors in a non-cardiovascular tertiary care center

Aylin Saldivar-Landeros, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México
Pedro S. Arreola-Solís, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México
Jaime Galindo-Uribe, Departamento de Cardiología, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Ciudad de México
Gerardo Payro-Ramírez, Department of Cardiology, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutrición, Mexico City, Mexico
Julia Ramírez-González, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
Reyna Pacheco-Domínguez, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
Armando Martínez-Martínez, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexicali, Baja California, México

Objective: To describe the clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and survival of patients with cardiac tumors treated at a tertiary care center over 25 years. Method: Retrospective cohort study at the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran (1998-2023). Patients with an echocardiographic diagnosis of an intracavitary mass confirmed as a cardiac tumor were included. Clinical, imaging, histopathological variables, treatment, and outcome were analyzed. Survival was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves. Results: 26 patients were documented, with an average age of 52 years, 61.5% women. Benign primary tumors accounted for 53.8%, malignant primary tumors for 11.5%, and malignant secondary tumors for 34.6%. Myxoma was the most frequent (50% of benign tumors), followed by the papillary fibroelastoma (35.8%). Tumor thrombi were the most common secondary ones (55.5%). 10 surgeries were performed, mainly on myxomas, with a favorable outcome in the majority. Eight patients died (30%), six with malignant tumors. Survival was greater in benign tumors compared to primary and secondary malignant ones. Conclusions: Benign tumors predominate, with a good prognosis following surgical resection. Malignant tumors were associated with high mortality and lower survival.

Keywords: Cardiac tumor. Myxoma. Tumor thrombi. Fibroelastoma. Survival.