A rare disease that is often diagnosed after the patient's death. We must remember that a healthy lifestyle, a positive attitude will help to strengthen the body's immunity - the main internal doctor, which does not allow failures leading to the formation of heart cancer.
Concept and statistics
Cancerous heart disease can signify tumor formation inside the chambers also it can be a defeat of the organ muscle.
Myocardial oncology can pass unnoticed for a long time, masking for other heart diseases.
Symptoms of the disease begin to cause concern to the patient when metastases are detected.
Pathology is rare. This is explained by the activity, which is due to the functional purpose of the chambers and other constructive components of the heart. Blood circulation and metabolism in tissues are usually at a high level.
Types of heart tumors
Pathology has different manifestations, locations, based on different tissues.
- Primary tumors - pathology formed in the heart;has a variety of forms, depending on what cells of which tissues became ill with atypism and gave a start to the oncological process.
- Secondary tumors - cancer of adjacent organs or those located farther from the heart, delegated its presence to its area.
Primary education accounts for one quarter of all cancers of the heart. They come in different forms:
- sarcoma is a common type of tumor,
- lymphoma is rare in the heart.
Sarcoma is more common in middle-aged people. The right departments fall under the tumor processes to a greater extent than the left side.
Sarcomas also have several subspecies:
- Liposarcoma - occurs in adulthood and refers to rare cases. The body of the tumor is formed by lipoblasts. Liposarcoma is located in the heart cavity and has an external similarity with myxoma. Education is able to create a massive body, the color of which is usually yellowish. The tumor has a soft consistency. This type of pathology is responsive to medical procedures.
- Rhabdomyosarcoma - originates in the muscle tissue. The tumor is a soft to the touch formation of white. If you consider a node in a microscope, then there are several types of cells in its composition:
- spindle shaped,
- round,
- oval
- and others.
This type of pathology is infrequent. In the total number of primary tumors of rhabdomyosarcoma occurs in every fifth patient. Men have this type of heart tumor more often than women.
- Fibrosarcoma - accounts for one tenth of the primary tumors. It is an education with clear boundaries of grayish-white color. The node has collagen fibers and fibroblast-like cells with different degrees of differentiation.
- Angiosarcoma - according to statistics this species takes a third of all primary heart tumors. It affects more often men. Education has a hilly structure of dense constitution. This type of tumors inherent in the presence of vascular cavities in the body of education, which have different shapes and sizes.
Photo of heart cancer
Much more common tumors in the heart of secondary origin. They can appear as a result of cancer processes in the following organs:
- stomach,
- mammary gland,
- kidney,
- thyroid,
- lung.
The spread of cancer cells occurs through the lymph, as well as through the circulatory system. Cancer tissues enter the heart, germinating into the organ.
Causes of the onset of
Science today does not know the exact causes of cancer in the heart.
Primary formations can be triggered by the phenomena:
- , the degeneration of myxoma( benign tumor), which, in turn, can occur after surgery on the organ;
- as a result of toxic effects,
- is a consequence of an infectious disease,
- due to harmful effects caused by smoking and alcohol.
Symptoms of heart cancer
The following signs indicate possible heart damage to the heart:
- the onset of chest pain,
- dyspnea,
- symptoms of vena cava harness,
- enlarged heart chamber chambers,
- elevated temperature,
- cardiac rhythm disturbance,
- fatigue,
- in the pericardium, hemorrhagic effusion is detected,
- facial edema,
- disturbance in the conductive system,
- tamponade,
- significant weight loss,
- sudden death.
Stages of development of
The extent to which the cancer develops depends on the prognosis and tactics of treatment.
There are four stages:
- The appearance of altered cells, which were the result of damage to DNA cells and their subsequent random division. Such a violation is attributed to the first stage.
- Formation in the place of appearance of atypical cells of oncological formation - the second stage of the disease.
- Spread of the disease to other organs with lymph flow or through blood. Germination of a cancerous tumor beyond the heart - metastases are referred to the third stage of the disease.
- The primary focus is in an exacerbation state. At the same time, new pathological formations appear in other places. The development of the oncological process is as determined as the fourth stage of the disease.
Diagnosis
Cancer heart disease is difficult to diagnose. This is due to the fact that its manifestations are similar to other heart diseases. Therefore, several methods are used to diagnose the problem.
- ECG - is an informative check that shows if there are irregularities in the beating rhythms of the heart. You can also get information about the state of the conductivity function.
- MRI - will show the state of the heart chambers and surrounding tissues and organs. CT will also add detailed information, including on violations in solid tissues. These methods are necessary if a controversial issue has occurred.
- Echocardiogram - is one of the main methods for clarifying:
- the location of cancer education,
- tumor size determination,
- clarifying the question of the presence of fluid in the pericardial zone.
- Laboratory tests:
- for the clarification of the diagnosis are conducting a biopsy study,
- is doing blood sampling for clinical analysis and biochemical studies,
- oncomarkers.
Treatment of heart cancer
In the initial stages, heart cancer is most often not detected. At the beginning of the treatment process, the tumor can have a multitude of metastases to other organs. Therefore, surgical intervention in most cases do not.
The main methods of treatment:
- chemotherapy,
- irradiation,
- maintenance therapy.
The procedures allow:
- to slow down the development of pathology,
- to reduce metastasis,
- to improve the quality of life of the patient.
How many live with him?
If heart cancer is detected before the appearance of metastases, it is possible to prolong the patient's life to five full years. In neglected cases, the patient dies from the diagnosis of pathology throughout the year, despite the treatment.