heart cancer
Meaning of heart cancer: Tumors that spread to the heart from cancer elsewhere in the body are considerably more common than cancer that originates in the heart itself.
Definition of heart cancer
Heart cancer refers to a tumor that originates within the tissue of the heart itself, a notably rare occurrence compared with cancer arising in most other organs. Most tumors found within the heart are actually benign growths, such as myxomas, rather than cancer, and true primary heart cancer most often takes the form of a sarcoma, a cancer arising from connective tissue such as muscle or blood vessel walls within the heart.
Cancer that reaches the heart is considerably more likely to have spread there from a tumor elsewhere in the body, called a metastasis, than to have originated in the heart directly, since cancers such as those of the lung or breast can spread to the heart or its surrounding sac far more often than primary heart cancer occurs.
Because primary heart cancer is uncommon and can produce symptoms similar to other heart conditions, such as irregular heartbeat or fluid around the heart, it is often identified later in its course, which can complicate treatment.
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Used in a sentence
Imaging identified a cardiac mass, and further evaluation distinguished a primary heart cancer from a metastatic tumor.
Good to know
A tumor found within the heart is far more likely to represent a benign growth or a cancer spread there from elsewhere in the body than a true primary heart cancer, which is rare.