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Rare tumours of the heart – angiosarcomas

Publication at First Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen |
2014

Abstract

Primary tumours of the heart are very rare. Reported prevalence is about 0.001–0.3% of routine autopsies [1, 2].

More than three-quarters of them are benign, with myxoma as the most often histological type. The malignant primary tumours of the heart are angiosarcomas, rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, undifferentiated sarcoma and primary cardiac lymphoma [3].

Angiosarcoma is, with its prevalence 0.000075–0.00225%, the most common of them [4, 5]. The very poor prognosis of this disease is caused by its late diagnosis and treatment because of limited information on the clinical aspects for this type of tumour.

The mean overall survive is from 6 to 13 months [5, 6]. Two cases, treated in the Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy at the University Hospital in Pilsen, are presented in this paper.