Heat cancer, or cardiac sarcoma, is a rare form of cancer that affects the tissues of the heart. In most cases, cancer in the heart tissues exists because the cancer has metastasized from another area of the body, such as the lung, breast, kidney or liver. However, there are incidences where a tumor originates in the tissue of the heart. As with many forms of cancer, the exact cause usually remains unknown. Heart cancer can occur without producing any symptoms or it may cause chest pain, tightness, a drop in blood pressure, shortness of breath, fatigue or irregular heart rhythms. While this condition is often fatal, there may be some treatment options that a physician can consider.
Injections and Drainage
Cancer that begins in the heart tissue is called a primary cardiac tumor. In cases where the tumor is secreting fluid that interferes with the heart's ability to pump normally, a needle may be inserted to help drain the fluid and remove the pressure, claims Merck.
In addition, medications that slow the growth of the tumor can be injected in an attempt to slow disease progression. The exact medication used depends on the extent of the cancer and the patient's overall health.
Radiation
It may be possible to attempt radiation for cancer of the heart. However, in the long run the radiation may cause tissue damage which raises the risk of heart disease and coronary artery disease, warns the Mayo Clinic. Due to the rareness of heart cancer, there have not been enough studies to evaluate the benefits of radiation.
Chemotherapy
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, cardiac sarcomas are rare and only account for 0.0001 percent of all deaths. Due to this low incidence, studies on effective treatments are limited, and this includes chemotherapy.
Outcomes after the use of chemotherapy are mixed. Some patients respond well and go into remission. For others the chemotherapy does not halt the disease but lessens the symptoms, making the patient more comfortable until they succumb. Some patients receive no benefit from the treatment.
Further research is needed to determine if certain types of chemotherapy drugs work better than others in treating heart cancer.
Heart Transplant
In some cases, if the heart cancer has not spread to other areas of the body, it may be possible to perform heart transplant surgery, states the Virginia Commonwealth University. This is a complicated procedure and poses risks, because the drugs commonly used to prevent transplant rejection may cause the cancer to return.
However, a procedure called autotransplantation may be an option. During this procedure, the patient's heart is removed so that the tumor can be safely extracted. Then the patient's own heart is returned. This procedure eliminates the need for immunosuppressive drugs.
