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Heart Cancer Treatment
Abnormal, uncontrolled growths of cells of the heart tissues are known as heart cancer or heart tumors.
Heart cancer is a rare occurrence. The condition can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
Types: The different types of heart cancers are:
Causes:
- The exact cause of developing heart cancer is unknown.
- Certain changes or mutations in the heart cells may result in their uncontrollable growth and alteration of their function.
- This may result in heart cancer.
Risk factors: The following factors may increase the risk of developing heart cancer:
- Age between 30 and 50 years
- More common in men
- Chronic smokers
- Family history of cancer
- Weak immune system
- Genetic cancer syndromes
Symptoms:
The symptoms of heart cancer include:
- Constant and sudden chest pain
- Chest pressure or tightness
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Cough with sputum, which may be frothy or pink colored
- Coughing up blood
- Fever
- Increased heart rate
- Irregular rhythm of the heart
- Sudden weight loss or weight gain
- Swelling around the ankles and feet
- Reduction in urine production
- Widening of the fingertips
- Bluish discoloration of lips or fingernails
- Mental disturbances like confusion, hallucinations, delirium, or delusions
- Shortness of breath
- Breathing difficulty
- Choking sensation
- Wheezing
- Physical examination: The doctor evaluates the patient physically and checks for heart murmurs, abnormal heart rhythms, or other signs of heart failure (failure of the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body).
- Medical history: The medical history and family history of the patient is noted.
- Echocardiogram: This test helps in obtaining the images of the heart and its valves.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG): The electrical activity of the heart is measured using an ECG.
- Imaging tests: Chest x-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans may be used to obtain clear images of the heart.
- Cardiac catheterization: This test helps the doctor to diagnose the type of tumor that may be present.
- Coronary angiography: This test is rarely performed to diagnose heart tumors.
The different types of treatments for heart cancer include:
- Surgery may be performed to remove cancer while preserving the heart function.
- Heart transplantation surgery may be done in select cases.
- Chemotherapy is a procedure involving the use of certain drugs to kill cancer cells.
- Radiation therapy involves the use of high-powered energy beams to kill cancer cells.
- The above forms of treatment are supported in the following ways:
- Dietary counseling may be done to maintain the nutritional status and strength of a heart cancer patient.
- Palliative care may be required to improve the overall quality of life of the patient and his/her family members.
- Physiotherapy may be done to improve the patient’s overall body strength, alertness, and functional ability, along with increased alertness after cancer treatment.
Heart cancer treatment may lead to the following complications:
- Disturbed sleep or lack of sleep
- Nail and skin related problems
- Decrease in sexual desire
- Chest pain
- Swellings in multiple organs
- Leg swelling
- Tingling sensation in the legs and hands
- Nerve-related problems
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Mouth ulcers or sores
- Lymphedema
- Decrease in memory power
- Increase in infections in different parts of the body
- Cold and flu-like symptoms
- Loss of hair
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Constipation
- Bleeding
- Loss of appetite
- Anemia
The following steps should be followed after heart cancer treatment for improved quality of life:
- Exercise regularly
- Eat a well-balanced diet
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Get adequate sleep
- Manage stress
- Reduce alcohol consumption
- Quit smoking
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Heart Cancer Treatment
Abnormal, uncontrolled growths of cells of the heart tissues are known as heart cancer or heart tumors.
Heart cancer is a rare occurrence. The condition can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
Types: The different types of heart cancers are:
1. Malignant tumors:
- Primary cardiac lymphoma
- Pericardial mesothelioma
- Cardiac Rhabdomyosarcoma
- Cardiac angiosarcoma
2. Benign tumors:
- Fibroma
- Rhabdomyoma
- Myxoma
- Cardiac cancers that occur due to their spread from other organs to the heart (known as secondary tumors):
- Lymphoma
- Leukemia
- Kidney cancer
- Lung cancer
- Breast cancer
- Skin cancer
Symptoms
Causes:
- The exact cause of developing heart cancer is unknown.
- Certain changes or mutations in the heart cells may result in their uncontrollable growth and alteration of their function.
- This may result in heart cancer.
Risk factors: The following factors may increase the risk of developing heart cancer:
- Age between 30 and 50 years
- More common in men
- Chronic smokers
- Family history of cancer
- Weak immune system
- Genetic cancer syndromes
Symptoms:
The symptoms of heart cancer include:
- Constant and sudden chest pain
- Chest pressure or tightness
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Cough with sputum, which may be frothy or pink colored
- Coughing up blood
- Fever
- Increased heart rate
- Irregular rhythm of the heart
- Sudden weight loss or weight gain
- Swelling around the ankles and feet
- Reduction in urine production
- Widening of the fingertips
- Bluish discoloration of lips or fingernails
- Mental disturbances like confusion, hallucinations, delirium, or delusions
- Shortness of breath
- Breathing difficulty
- Choking sensation
- Wheezing
Diagnosis
- Physical examination: The doctor evaluates the patient physically and checks for heart murmurs, abnormal heart rhythms, or other signs of heart failure (failure of the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body).
- Medical history: The medical history and family history of the patient is noted.
- Echocardiogram: This test helps in obtaining the images of the heart and its valves.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG): The electrical activity of the heart is measured using an ECG.
- Imaging tests: Chest x-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans may be used to obtain clear images of the heart.
- Cardiac catheterization: This test helps the doctor to diagnose the type of tumor that may be present.
- Coronary angiography: This test is rarely performed to diagnose heart tumors.
Treatment
The different types of treatments for heart cancer include:
- Surgery may be performed to remove cancer while preserving the heart function.
- Heart transplantation surgery may be done in select cases.
- Chemotherapy is a procedure involving the use of certain drugs to kill cancer cells.
- Radiation therapy involves the use of high-powered energy beams to kill cancer cells.
- The above forms of treatment are supported in the following ways:
- Dietary counseling may be done to maintain the nutritional status and strength of a heart cancer patient.
- Palliative care may be required to improve the overall quality of life of the patient and his/her family members.
- Physiotherapy may be done to improve the patient’s overall body strength, alertness, and functional ability, along with increased alertness after cancer treatment.
Risks
Heart cancer treatment may lead to the following complications:
- Disturbed sleep or lack of sleep
- Nail and skin related problems
- Decrease in sexual desire
- Chest pain
- Swellings in multiple organs
- Leg swelling
- Tingling sensation in the legs and hands
- Nerve-related problems
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Mouth ulcers or sores
- Lymphedema
- Decrease in memory power
- Increase in infections in different parts of the body
- Cold and flu-like symptoms
- Loss of hair
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Constipation
- Bleeding
- Loss of appetite
- Anemia
After Procedure
The following steps should be followed after heart cancer treatment for improved quality of life:
- Exercise regularly
- Eat a well-balanced diet
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Get adequate sleep
- Manage stress
- Reduce alcohol consumption
- Quit smoking
FAQ Section
A condition in which there are uncontrolled, abnormal growths of the heart tissue cells is known as heart cancer or heart tumors. These tumors may be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
A. The various forms of treatments performed to eliminate the abnormal growths of the heart tissue cells are known as heart cancer treatments.
A. The different types of heart cancers are:
1. Benign tumors:
- Myxoma
- Fibroma
- Rhabdomyoma
2. Malignant tumors:
- Primary cardiac lymphoma
- Pericardial mesothelioma
- Cardiac angiosarcoma
- Cardiac rhabdomyosarcoma
- Secondary tumors (cardiac cancers as a result of spread from the other organs to the heart)
- Leukemia
- Lymphoma
- Lung cancer
- Breast cancer
- Skin cancer
- Kidney cancer
A. The exact cause of heart cancer development is not known.
Certain mutations or changes in the heart cells may cause uncontrollable growth and altered function, resulting in heart cancer.
A. Certain factors may increase the chances of developing heart cancer and may include the following:
- Between 30 and 50 years of age
- Commonly seen in men
- Family history of cancer
- Chronic smokers
- Weakened immune system
- Certain genetic cancer syndromes
A. The symptoms of heart cancer may include the following:
- Sudden chest pain
- Constant chest pain
- Chest pressure or tightness
- Fatigue
- Cough along with sputum, which could be frothy or pink colored
- Fever
- Coughing up blood
- Increase in heart rate
- Irregular heart rhythm
- Sudden weight gain or weight loss
- Swelling around the feet and ankles
- Reduced production of urine
- Fingertips widening
- Bluish discoloration of fingernails or lips
- Mental disturbances
- Shortness of breath
- Difficulty in breathing
- Wheezing
- Choking sensation
A. Heart cancer treatment can be performed by the oncologist in association with the cardiologist.
A. The following diagnostic tests may be performed before heart cancer treatment:
- Physical examination: The doctor checks for the presence of heart murmurs, abnormal heart rhythms, or other signs that could indicate heart failure (the failure of the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body).
- Medical history: The patient’s medical history and family history are noted by the doctor.
- Echocardiogram: This test helps in getting clear images of the heart and its valves.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG): This test helps in measuring the electrical activity of the heart.
- Imaging tests: Chest x-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans are the different imaging tests that help in obtaining clear images of the heart.
- Cardiac catheterization: The type of tumor that may be present can be diagnosed using this test.
- Coronary angiography: This test may be performed rarely for the diagnosis of heart tumors.
The following preparation may be done before heart cancer treatment:
- Inform the doctor if the patient is taking any medications, supplements, or herbs.
- Inform the doctor about any medical disorders that the patient may have.
- If the patient is allergic to any medications, anesthesia, tape, iodine, or latex, tell the doctor about the same.
- The patient should quit smoking as soon as possible.
- The patient should stop blood-thinning medications like aspirin and warfarin a few days before surgery.
- If the surgery is going to be performed under general anesthesia, the doctor will ask the patient to not eat or drink anything eight hours before the procedure.
A. The different heart cancer treatments are:
- Surgery may be done to remove cancer while preserving the function of the heart.
- Heart transplantation surgery may be performed in certain cases.
- Chemotherapy involves using certain drugs to kill cancer cells.
- Radiation therapy involves using high-powered energy beams to kill cancer cells.
The following techniques are used to support the above treatment methods:
- Dietary counseling is needed to maintain the nutritional status and strength of a heart cancer patient.
- Palliative care is needed to improve the overall quality of life of the patient, along with the patient’s family members.
- Physiotherapy is performed to improve the overall body strength, alertness, functional ability, and alertness of the patient.
A. The following post-procedure steps need to be followed after heart cancer treatment:
- Exercise regularly
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Eat a well-balanced diet
- Get enough rest
- Reduce the consumption of alcohol
- Quit smoking
- Manage stress
A. The following complications may be associated with heart cancer treatment:
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Disturbance in sleep
- Lack of sleep
- Nail-related problems
- Skin-related problems
- Reduced sexual desire
- Pain in the chest
- Swellings in multiple organs
- Leg swelling
- Tingling sensation in the legs and hands
- Nerve-related problems
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Mouth ulcers
- Lymphedema
- Decreased memory power
- Cold and flu-like symptoms
- Hair loss
- Fatigue
- Constipation
- Loss of appetite
- Anemia
A. The survival rate of a patient who has undergone heart cancer treatment is about 46% after one year, 22% after three years, and 17% after five years. The survival rate is better for benign tumors.
A. The cost of heart cancer treatment varies depending on the type of treatment performed, the condition of the patient, and the overall health status of the patient.
The cost varies among different doctors in different hospitals. The cost of heart cancer treatment in India is between INR 5,00,000 to INR 7,00,000.