[Is heart transplantation for primary cardiac sarcoma a useful therapeutic option?]

Rev Esp Cardiol. 2003 Apr;56(4):408-11. doi: 10.1016/s0300-8932(03)76886-9.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

Primary cardiac sarcomas are rapidly progressive malignant tumors. No good therapeutic option is known. In recent years, heart transplantation has sometimes been performed in selected patients with cardiac sarcoma.We retrospectively analyzed 8 patients with primary cardiac sarcoma referred to our center to undergo assessment for heart transplantation. After an exhaustive study of the extension of the tumor, 6 patients were added to the waiting list for heart transplantation. Heart transplantation was not performed in 3 of these patients due to evidence of extracardiac extension, but the procedure was completed in the remaining 3 patients. The median survival in intention-to-treat analysis (transplantation or a frustrated transplantation attempt) was 8.5 months. Overall, the median survival of the 3 patients who underwent transplantation (12 months) was similar to that of the 5 patients who did not (11 months).

Publication types

  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Female
  • Heart Neoplasms / mortality
  • Heart Neoplasms / pathology
  • Heart Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Heart Transplantation* / methods
  • Heart Transplantation* / mortality
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Myocardium / pathology
  • Sarcoma / mortality
  • Sarcoma / pathology
  • Sarcoma / surgery*
  • Survival Analysis
  • Treatment Outcome