Deadly disease: heart cancer

Due to the fact that the heart muscle is a fairly fast metabolism, and this part of the body is well supplied with blood and nutrients , heart cancer is an uncommon disease. However, it is. Today, doctors identify primary and secondary tumors of this important organ.

Cancer of the heart. Types

Most often, a primary sarcoma is a sarcoma. It appears in men and women aged 30 years. As a rule, the tumor spreads very quickly, originating mainly in the right heart. Cancer cells germinate in all large arteries, layers of the heart muscle and veins. Metastases affect the lungs, lymph nodes, even the brain.

Another type of malignant heart formations is angiosarcoma. With this disease, there are multiple hollow formations that are completely filled with blood. And they communicate with each other.

At any age, a so-called rhabdomyosarcoma may appear. Its original localization is striated muscle tissue. A little more often this option occurs in representatives of the strong half of humanity.

Fibrosarcoma is a cancer that is a clear and limited knot. There is an opportunity for representatives of both sexes with equal probability.

Secondary tumors are metastases of the following cancers :

• Kidney;
• Mammary glands;
• Stomach;
• Lungs.

Due to the fact that the life expectancy of cancer patients has recently increased due to new technologies and methods of treatment, metastases to the heart occur tens of times less often than before.

Signs of a sick heart

Depending on the location of the swollen, as well as its magnitude, the picture of the disease may vary. Some symptoms manifest themselves more strongly, and some are completely absent.

Typical signs of heart disease with cancer look like this:

• The appearance of heart failure, which is rapidly developing and progressing;
• The heart grows in size;
• Arrhythmia occurs;
• Conduction is impaired.

Some time in the early stages of cancer, the disease can develop without any symptoms. Gradually appear:

• Pain in the whole body and joints;
• Constant weakness, increasing with each passing day;
• The temperature rises and lasts for a long time;
• Numbness of limbs;
• rash;
• Rapid weight loss.

Cancer of the heart. Diagnostics

One of the options for studying a malignant tumor of the heart is echocardiography. However, this method helps the specialist only to determine the most acceptable tactics of surgical intervention. Today, computer tomography is increasingly used to diagnose cancer . With its help, you can see exactly where the tumor is located and in which direction it spreads and grows. As an additional diagnostic tool, magnetic resonance imaging is used.

Treatment

In most cases, heart cancer is not treated surgically. This is due to the fact that at the time of detection of the disease the tumor is already spread not only on the myocardium, but also on other organs. Radiotherapy is a more common method of treatment. It can be performed as an independent procedure or in combination with chemotherapy. All this allows to slightly suspend the development of cancer and its severity. Thanks to this treatment, you can prolong the life of the patient for 5 years.

In addition to all the doctor necessarily appoints also symptomatic treatment to relieve the patient of unpleasant symptoms accompanying a cancer of heart. In the absence of proper treatment, the prognosis is very unfavorable. As a rule, half a year or a year after the manifestation of the first symptoms, and a person dies.

If you suspect a heart tumor, you need to see a doctor. To address in this case it is necessary at first to the cardiologist, and then and to the oncologist at acknowledgment or confirmation of the assumption.