Surgical outcomes of atrial cardiac tumors: a single-center 14-case series including right atrial and malignant tumors

TL;DR

This study examines surgical outcomes for atrial cardiac tumors, showing that tumor location affects surgical approach but histology mainly determines long-term survival.

Contribution

The paper provides a single-center case series analyzing surgical approaches and outcomes for atrial cardiac tumors, emphasizing the impact of histology on survival.

Findings

Right atrial tumors required en bloc resection with autologous pericardial patch closure.

Malignant tumors significantly influenced survival, with two patients dying from complications.

Benign tumors showed no recurrence following surgical resection.

Abstract

Primary cardiac tumors are rare, with myxomas predominating and usually located in the left atrium. Right atrial tumors are less frequent but clinically significant because of the risks of embolism, hemodynamic compromise, and conduction disturbance. We reviewed 14 patients who underwent surgical resection of atrial tumors at our institution. The cohort included three right atrial and 11 left atrial tumors, with two malignant histologies. All right atrial tumors were resected en bloc with the adjacent wall, requiring autologous pericardial patch closure. Most left atrial tumors also required autologous pericardial patch reconstruction. Malignant tumors determined survival; one patient with intimal sarcoma died early from acute respiratory distress syndrome, and one patient with biphasic synovial sarcoma died 51 months later from pleural dissemination. No recurrence of the benign tumors was observed. Our single-center 14-case series highlights that while the surgical approach varies by tumor location, long-term outcomes are mainly influenced by histology.

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