eMedicine Specialties > Oncology > Carcinomas of the Lung and Other Intrathoracic Carcinomas

Cardiac Sarcoma: Follow-up

Author: John H Raaf, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University
Coauthor(s): Anastasios K Konstantakos, MD, Clinical Associate Surgeon, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Billings Clinic, Billings, Montana; Heather N Raaf, MD, Chief Deputy Coroner, Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office (Retired)
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Mar 4, 2009

Follow-up

Further Outpatient Care

No specific guidelines for follow-up care have been established; however, because of the low postoperative survival rate (median survival, 6 mo), pay careful attention postoperatively to the patient's cardiopulmonary status and overall physical state.

Prognosis

Data from patients with primary cardiac sarcomas show that median survival is approximately 6 months. Histologic type does not affect prognosis. However, more than 10 mitoses per high-power field or necrosis is correlated with a poorer outcome. Longer survival is associated with left-sided lesions.

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • Because of the rarity of these lesions, consideration of cardiac sarcoma in a patient with nonspecific cardiopulmonary signs and symptoms may be easy to overlook. Nevertheless, the goal of therapy is complete surgical excision after diagnosis.
  • Postoperatively, consider consultation with an oncologist, because adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy may be appropriate.
 


More on Cardiac Sarcoma

Overview: Cardiac Sarcoma
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Cardiac Sarcoma
Treatment & Medication: Cardiac Sarcoma
Follow-up: Cardiac Sarcoma
Multimedia: Cardiac Sarcoma
References
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References

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Further Reading

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Keywords

angiosarcoma, metastatic cardiac sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, malignant schwannoma, mesothelioma, fibrosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, heart tumor, heart sarcoma, heart malignancy, heart cancer, cancer

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

John H Raaf, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University
John H Raaf, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Cancer Research, American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Central Surgical Association, and Society of Surgical Oncology
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Anastasios K Konstantakos, MD, Clinical Associate Surgeon, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Billings Clinic, Billings, Montana
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Heather N Raaf, MD, Chief Deputy Coroner, Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office (Retired)
Heather N Raaf, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Forensic Sciences and National Association of Medical Examiners
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Robert C Shepard, MD, FACP, Associate Professor of Medicine in Hematology and Oncology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Vice President of Scientific Affairs, Therapeutic Expertise, Oncology, at PRA International
Robert C Shepard, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Cancer Research, American College of Physician Executives, American College of Physicians, American Federation for Clinical Research, American Federation for Medical Research, American Medical Association, American Medical Informatics Association, American Society of Hematology, Association of Clinical Research Professionals, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, European Society for Medical Oncology, Massachusetts Medical Society, and Society for Biological Therapy
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Rajalaxmi McKenna, MD, FACP, Consulting Staff, Department of Medicine, Southwest Medical Consultants, SC, Good Samaritan Hospital, Advocate Health Systems
Rajalaxmi McKenna, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, and International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Jules E Harris, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine at Tucson; Consulting Staff, Arizona Cancer Center
Jules E Harris, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Cancer Research, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Immunologists, American Society of Hematology, and Central Society for Clinical Research
Disclosure: GlobeImmune Salary Consulting; Amplimed Consulting fee Consulting

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