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People also ask
What are the symptoms of angiosarcoma?
What is cardiac angiosarcoma?
How does a cardiac angiosarcoma affect the heart?
Jan 2, 2024 · What are the symptoms? Cardiac angiosarcoma symptoms vary depending on the location of the tumor. Symptoms may include: Shortness of breath . Chest pain. Fatigue. Syncope (passing out). Heart palpitations. If the tumor spreads beyond your heart, you may have other symptoms, like anemia or weight loss.
- Overview
- What are the symptoms of cardiac angiosarcoma?
- How do doctors diagnose cardiac angiosarcoma?
- What is the treatment for cardiac angiosarcoma?
- What is the outlook for people with cardiac angiosarcoma?
- What can cause cardiac angiosarcoma?
- Can I prevent cardiac angiosarcoma?
- Takeaway
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Cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare form of cancer that occurs in your cardiac (heart) tissue. An angiosarcoma is a type of cancer in which cancerous cells grow in your lymph or in the inner lining of your blood vessels. While cardiac angiosarcoma is rare, it’s the most common cause of malignant (cancerous) tumors in the heart.
A cardiac angiosarcoma can obstruct blood flow in your heart. It can also affect your heart’s ability to pump blood.
Cardiac angiosarcomas tend to affect adults at a younger age than most other cancers. They usually spread quickly and are difficult to treat because of the location of the tumor. This means people with it tend to have a poor outlook.
Early identification is key to improving your outlook with cardiac angiosarcoma. As the condition tends to run in families, regular screening for cardiac angiosarcoma may help a doctor or other healthcare professional find it early.
The symptoms of cardiac angiosarcoma depend upon where the cancerous cells are growing.
Most cardiac angiosarcomas grow in the right atrium of your heart. This is the chamber of your heart that receives blood without oxygen. It then moves your blood to your right ventricle and lungs to receive oxygen.
Sometimes, the tumor can advance to your tricuspid valve between your right atrium and right ventricle.
Some symptoms include:
•chest tightness
•coughing up blood
The symptoms of angiosarcoma can resemble those of many other conditions, including a heart attack or pulmonary embolism. Doctors will likely rule out these emergency conditions first.
Imaging may help a doctor identify cardiac angiosarcoma. Examples include:
•computed tomography (CT)
•magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
•transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE)
A TTE is a noninvasive test that uses a special imaging probe held outside your chest to identify the chambers of your heart. A TTE helps doctors identify about 75% of all primary cardiac angiosarcomas.
Because cardiac angiosarcoma is so rare, doctors haven’t yet developed protocols as they have for more common cancer types, such as lung or breast cancer. More research and trials are needed to establish treatment standards.
Your treatment plan will depend upon the nature of your tumor and where it grows in your heart.
The preferred option is surgery, with chemotherapy beforehand. The goal of chemo is to reduce the size of your tumor before your surgery. In some cases, a doctor may use radiation therapy instead of chemo.
A surgeon may remove your tumor or a portion of it. They may also remove a thin border of healthy heart tissue around your tumor.
Removing your tumor can help enhance your quality of life. If the tumor is blocking blood flow, removing it will allow your blood to flow more freely and help your heart work more effectively. A 2019 review found that the median survival time of those who underwent surgery was 4 months longer than those who didn’t.
But surgery may not be possible if your tumor has grown a lot or is in a difficult location.
Cardiac angiosarcoma is rare. By the time most people receive a diagnosis, the cancer has already spread to their blood. It’s also often resistant to chemotherapy or radiation.
Due to these factors, the outlook for for people with cardiac angiosarcoma is often poor.
A 2019 review found that the average survival for people with cardiac angiosarcoma was about 7 months. About 35% of people with the condition were alive after 1 year and about 10% after 5 years.
A 2016 review found better results. Researchers observed a median OS of 25 months, ranging from 6 months to a few years. It also found that those who received multiple forms of treatment had better survival (36.5 months) than those who only received one type of treatment (14.1 months).
Factors that influenced survival in either review included:
•Age: People younger than 45 years old had better survival rates.
Researchers have identified the following risk factors for cardiac angiosarcoma:
•chronic lymphedema
•exposure to radiation
•history of exposure to environmental carcinogens, such as cigarette smoke or airborne chemicals
Researchers don’t yet know if there’s a way to prevent cardiac angiosarcoma. Still, you can take steps to limit your exposure to carcinogens.
If you commonly work with chemicals, it’s important to protect yourself. Wear appropriate protective equipment and ensure ventilation is adequate.
Cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare but serious type of cancer that affects your heart. Its progression is so rapid that it has usually already spread by the time you receive the diagnosis. There are cases where doctors don’t find it until after an autopsy.
If a doctor gives you a diagnosis of cardiac angiosarcoma, your treatment will likely include surgery and chemotherapy or radiation. But this depends on how much the cancer has spread and where it’s located in your heart. The outlook for people with cardiac angiosarcoma is usually poor, but it’s better with timely diagnosis and surgery.
Cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare and aggressive cancer that grows in your heart tissue. Learn about its symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, and prognosis.
- Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA
Cardiac Angiosarcoma Symptoms. Cardiac sarcomas are most frequently diagnosed as angiosarcoma. Most angiosarcomas occur in the right atrium, resulting in obstruction of the inflow or outflow of blood. This obstruction may cause symptoms such as swelling of the feet, legs, ankles and/or abdomen and distension of the neck veins.
Oct 24, 2022 · Cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare and aggressive tumor that starts in the right atrium of the heart. It can cause chest pain, shortness of breath and spread to other organs. Learn how to diagnose and treat this condition with MD Anderson experts.
- Devon Carter
May 17, 2022 · Angiosarcoma is a rare cancer that forms in the lining of blood vessels and lymph vessels. It can affect the skin, organs or deeper tissue, and may cause bruise-like lesions, pain or swelling.
Apr 25, 2022 · What are the symptoms of cardiac angiosarcomas? Symptoms depend on where in the heart the tumor is located. Most often they occur in the right upper chamber of the heart and block blood flow in and out of the heart. This can cause: chest pain. swelling of the legs or abdomen. fatigue. shortness of breath.
What are the symptoms of cardiac sarcoma? The symptoms of heart tumors vary, depending on where the tumor is. Tumors of the heart may be on the outside surface of the heart. They may be inside one or more chambers of the heart (intracavitary). Or they may be within the heart muscle tissue.
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