Thoracic Key

Key points • Most malignant cardiac tumors are metastatic, most commonly from lung and breast carcinomas, melanomas, soft tissue sarcomas, and renal carcinomas. • Malignant primary cardiac tumors are rare…

Key points • CT has emerged as an important imaging modality in the evaluation of cardiac and paracardiac neoplasms. CT has several advantages including wide availability, rapid acquisition time, excellent…

Key points • Vegetations are oscillating or nonoscillating intracardiac masses on the valves or other endocardial structures or intracardiac implanted materials. • Vegetations are typically located on the upstream side…

Key points • Newer echocardiographic techniques may provide incremental information to help characterize cardiac masses. • Myocardial contrast echocardiography allows an improved definition of intracavity structures and an assessment of…

Key points • Anatomic variants occurring in normal cardiac developments often simulate pathologic entities. • Anatomic variants are particularly common in the right atrium. • Due to the physical properties…

Key points • Baseline ECG in any cardiac or extracardiac tumors is mandatory since therapeutic side effects of chemotherapy on heart are proven. • Comprehensive understanding of the cardiac effect…

Key points • Most heart tumors are benign. Atrial myxomas make for 30%–50% of all primary cardiac tumors. (See Boxes 5.2 and 5.3 .) Box 5.2 Coronary artery disease. Coronary…

Key points • Primary cardiac tumors (PCTs) are extremely rare that may be symptomatic or found incidentally. • The signs and symptoms of cardiac tumors generally are determined by the…

Key Points • Cardiac tumors are being rare, but form an important component of cardio-oncology practice in which diagnosis and management are vital. • Tumors encompass a broad set of…