While cancer can occur in almost any organ in the body, you probably haven’t heard that it can also affect the heart. But unfortunately there is such a reality. This is quite surprising when you consider how essential the heart is to the body. However, although this condition is very rare, it is possible to develop primary heart cancer in humans.
Primary heart tumors are so rare that statistics are scarce. But one estimate suggests these occur in 0.0017 percent to 0.028 percent of people. However, not all of these tumors are malignant.
Just like in other parts of the body, a person can have non-malignant (non-cancerous or benign) tumor growths in their heart, for example known as myxomas. While these are benign, they can cause serious health problems if the tumor affects the blood circulation in the heart chambers.
malignant heart tumors
Even more frightening are malignant heart tumors, which make up only 25 percent of primary heart tumors.
D., a cardiologist and director of cardio-oncology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “In my career, I’ve probably seen two or three malignant primary cancers of the heart,” Tochukwu Okwuosa explains. “They’re not very common malignancies, and that’s why most people don’t talk about them often.”
Unlike other malignant cancers, this condition involves uncontrollable cell growth, which allows the disease to spread and invade other parts of the body through a process called metastasis. When this occurs in the heart, it can be particularly aggressive.
Dr. “Unfortunately, when they are malignant, they become really malignant,” Okwuosa says. “Nobody wants to be told that the tumor in their heart is a malignant cancer because the chances of curing it are very low and the chance of death even with chemotherapy is very high.” For comparison, one of the most common malignant tumors of the heart is sarcoma arising from the soft connective tissues. Although extremely rare, it is an extremely disturbing diagnosis for the patient.
Celebrities who died of heart cancer
Few of the well-known names have had heart cancer. Virgil Abloh, the famous fashion designer behind the Off-White brand, died in 2021 at the age of 41 from cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that affects the blood vessels of the heart. Eric Carr, who was the drummer of the rock band Kiss in the 1980s, died of heart cancer in 1991, again at the age of 41.
The heart is an amazing organ, but it doesn’t have any anti-cancer superpowers. It may be surprising, therefore, that heart cancer is so rare. There are several different theories to explain the rarity of heart cancer.
Why is heart cancer rare?
One of these theories is that the cells that make up the heart muscle (cardiac myocytes) are overly differentiated.
Cancer arises due to an “error” during cell division, causing a mutated cell to multiply abnormally and divide uncontrollably. However, cells in the heart muscle do not divide later in life compared to other organs such as epithelial cells of the skin.
While this may mean that the heart is not good at repairing damaged tissue, it does make it somewhat resistant to tumors.
The extreme rarity of heart cancers is, of course, positive at first glance. However, this means that there is a severe lack of definitive data on the disease, making it difficult for doctors to deal with the disease. For example, it’s not clear whether a particular lifestyle choice or health condition even increases the risk of heart cancer. It’s also unclear how and why heart tumors occur or how best to treat them.
It can also be difficult to detect signs of heart cancer. Some tumors cause no symptoms at all, while others only cause nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, and palpitations.
If you feel unwell and notice any of these symptoms, it is unlikely that a heart tumor is the cause. However, even if you do not have a heart tumor, it is always a good idea to consult a medical professional, as you may have another disease.
Dr Okwuosa explains, “I always like to emphasize this: If you’re not feeling well, get it checked out. That’s the point, isn’t it? I think sometimes people just don’t feel well and they say, ‘oh, you know, this will pass. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s too late when you arrive. If people are unsure, they need to be checked and evaluated,” he concludes.
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