Most tumors that form in the heart aren’t cancerous. But some heart tumors can be cancerous.
Cancer that begins in the heart is most often sarcoma, a type of cancer that originates in the soft tissues of the body.
Heart cancer (malignant primary cardiac tumor) is extremely rare.
Overview
Although heart cancer is rare, most cancers found in the heart have come from elsewhere in the body. Cancers that begin near the heart, such as lung cancer and breast cancer, can grow to involve the heart or the lining around the heart (pericardial sac). Or cancer can begin elsewhere in the body and spread to the heart through the bloodstream. Cancers that may affect the heart include lung cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia, lymphoma and melanoma, among others.
Symptoms of Heart Cancer
- Congestive heart failure, which is muscle weakness in your heart that causes fluid to build up in your lungs.
- Shortness of breath.
- Chest pain.
- Blood clots.
- Changes in your heart rhythm.
- Coughing up blood.
- Feeling tired and weak.
- Weight loss.
Causes of Heart Cancer
What causes heart cancer? Angiosarcoma, a rare type of malignant (cancerous) soft tissue tumor, causes 9 out of 10 primary heart cancers in adults. The cause of angiosarcoma is unknown, although radiation and some toxins may play a role