Cardiac Tumors Prevention

Heart cancer is a general term for any cancer that develops in or on the heart. Primary heart cancer, which originates in the heart before anywhere else, is extremely rare. Most heart cancers are secondary, meaning they have spread, or metastasized, to the heart from other places, such as the breast or lungs. Secondary heart cancer is about 20 times more common than primary heart cancer; however, even secondary heart cancer is rare. That’s because heart cells don’t replicate as frequently as other types of cells, so there’s less opportunity for cancer cells to develop.

Cardiac tumors can be cancerous (malignant) or noncancerous (benign). Most cardiac tumors are benign, but that doesn’t mean they don’t pose significant health risks. Even benign cardiac tumors can cause severe heart problems and be deadly. As such, all cardiac tumors require thorough evaluation and often treatment.

Cardiac tumors form when normal heart cells grow out of control and form a mass. While it remains unclear exactly what causes cardiac tumors to develop, researchers have identified some heart cancer risk factors. Still, a majority of cardiac tumors appear to be sporadic, meaning they occur without any known cause.

• Age. Cardiac tumors can develop at any age, including in children and young adults. But the risk of developing secondary heart cancer increases with age as most other cancers develop later in life.
• Family history. There is some evidence that certain types of primary heart cancer may run in families due to an inheritable gene mutation, but additional research is needed.
• Personal history of cancer. Having cancer in another part of the body, particularly the lungs, breast or skin (melanoma), can increase a person’s risk for cancer metastasizing to the heart.

Because we don’t know exactly what causes primary heart cancer, we can’t make specific suggestions on how to prevent it. But it’s always a good idea to take steps to lower your overall risk of cancer and heart disease through lifestyle modification. The following guidelines may be important:

• Not using any tobacco products
• Maintaining a body mass index below 25
• Being physically active every day
• Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in processed meats

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University is dedicated to curing cancer through our extensive research program, which goes beyond developing novel treatments for cancer. We’re focused on improving all the ways the world prevents, detects, diagnoses, treats and survives all types of cancer, including cardiac tumors.