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Heart-tumor
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Last revised 17 May 2007
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Cardiac tumors-benign: general, adenomatoid tumor, angiomyolipoma, atrioventricular node tumor, benign fibrous histiocytoma, blood cyst, calcified amorphous tumor, endocardial fibroelastosis, fibroma, granular cell tumor, hamartoma, hemangioma, inflammatory pseudotumor, Lambl’s excrescence, lipoma, lipomatous hamartoma, lipomatous hypertrophy, lipomatous infiltration, mesothelial/monocytic cardiac excrescence, myxoma, necrobiotic xanthogranuloma, papillary fibroelastoma, paraganglioma, rhabdomyoma, schwannoma, sugar tumor, tumor with perivascular myoid differentiation, varix
Cardiac tumors-malignant: angiosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma/PNET, fibrosarcoma, germ cell tumor/teratoma, granulocytic sarcoma, hemangioendothelioma, hemangiopericytoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, lymphoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, malignant mesenchymoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, metastases, osteosarcoma, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, rhabdoid tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, sarcoma-general, synovial sarcoma, undifferentiated sarcoma
Miscellaneous: features to report-tumors
American Journal of Clinical Pathology, (AJCP), January 1975 to May 2007
American Journal of Surgical Pathology (AJSP), March 1977 to May 2007
Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Archives), January 1976 to May 2007
Biomed Center, 1 March 1997 to 2 May 2007
Human Pathology (Hum Path), March 1970 to May 2007
Modern Pathology (Mod Path-free full text after 1 year), January 1988 to April 2007
Mills: Sternberg's Diagnostic Surgical Pathology (4th ed), 2004
Rosai: Rosai and Ackerman's Surgical Pathology (9th ed), 2004
Tumors of the Heart and Great Vessels (AFIP Atlas of Tumor Pathology, Series 3, Vol 16); 1996
AFIP images (not copyrighted) courtesy of www.PathologyResources.com
Websites with images: PathoPic, PEIR digital library
Journal search terms: heart and each disease entity listed
Please refer to these primary references for more detailed discussions and additional images
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Cardiac tumors-benign
Occur in 1 per 300 to 100,000 autopsies
Common tumors are myxoma (30% of all primary cardiac tumors), papillary fibroelastoma (8%), rhabdomyoma, fibroma, hemangioma, lipomatous hypertrophy, AV nodal tumors, other (5% or less each)
In children, common tumors are rhabdomyoma, fibroma and teratoma (Orphanet J Rare Dis 2007;2:11)
References: http://www.cancer.org/downloads/PUB/DOCS/SECTION28/91.pdf
Adenomatoid tumor of the heart
Very rare
Case reports: incidental 1 cm tumor (AJSP 1997;21:1378)
Micro: cords or tubules of large epithelioid cells without atypia that occasionally branch into anastomosing channels
Positive stains: AE1/AE3, CAM 5.2, EMA, calretinin, thrombomodulin (paratesticular tumors-Histopathology 2000;36:109, adrenal tumors-AJSP 2003;27:969)
Negative stains: CEA
Very rare
Associated with tuberous sclerosis
Case reports: 48 year old woman with dyspnea and right atrial mass (AJSP 1994;18:1164), massive (34 cm) right atrial tumor (J Formos Med Assoc 1997;96:653)
Micro: mixture of blood vessels, smooth muscle and fat
Positive stains: adipocytes - S100; smooth muscle cells - desmin, actin; most cells - CD117 (diffuse and cytoplasmic, AJSP 2002;26:493), HMB45, NKI-C3/CD63 (Archives 2001;125:751), MelanA/Mart1, microphthalmia transcription factor
DD: renal angiomyolipoma with thrombus extending into right atrium (Urol Int 2001;67:168, Nippon Hinyokika Gakkai Zasshi 1999;90:745)
Atrioventricular node tumor of heart
Also called cystic tumor of AV node or mesothelioma of AV node, but does not appear to have mesothelial origin
Rare; usually identified at autopsy
May be congenital rests of endodermal origin (Archives 1990;114:1057) or ultimobranchial heterotopia identical to solid cell nests of thyroid (AJCP 2005;123:369)
Associated with other congenital anomalies
Often causes heart block and sudden death
Mean age 38 years, 75% female
Should examine conduction system in all patients with sudden death, particularly if a history of arrhythmia or heart block
Case reports: causing heart block for years before death (AJCP 1975;63:377), causing sudden cardiac death #1 (Archives 2001;125:573), #2 (Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2005;26:349), occurring in atrial septum (Cardiovasc Pathol 1999;8:325), congenital tumors (Cardiovasc Pathol 1999;8:233), with multiple endocrine abnormalities (Pathol Res Pract 1996;192:54)
Treatment: pacemaker implantation, anti-arrhythmic drugs, possibly surgical excision (Heart 2000;83:E6)
Gross: may not be visible due to small size (2 to 20 mm); multicystic lesion in area of atrioventricular node and membranous septum
Micro: must sample conduction system; solid and cystic areas lined by nonciliated, epithelial appearing cuboidal cells (main cells), mixed with occasional clear cells (neuroendocrine or C cells); lumina contains PAS+ diastase resistant material which may calcify; may have inflammatory cells and fibrosis; no smooth muscle, no mitotic figures, no atypia
Positive stains: main cells - CAM5.2, AE1/AE3, 34βE12, CK7, EMA, CEA, CA19.9, p63, bcl2, galectin 3
neuroendocrine or C cells - CAM5.2, AE1/AE3, CEA, calcitonin, chromogranin, synaptophysin, TTF-1
Negative stains: CK20, vimentin, CD31, factor VIII–related antigen, calretinin, estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor
EM: (a) cells form solid nests with well formed basement membranes, cytoplasmic tonofilaments and desmosomes or (b) glandular structures with desmosomes, electron-dense material and short microvilli
DD: bronchogenic cyst (solitary, grossly visible, on epicardial surface, smooth muscle present), mesothelial cyst (larger, unilocular, on surface of heart), teratoma (has neural or other ectodermal structures, Pediatr Pathol 1994;14:913)
Benign fibrous histiocytoma of heart
Rare in heart
Case reports: 4 month old boy who died due to large cardiac tumor (Z Rechtsmed 1990;103:335)
Micro: storiform pattern of spindle cells and lipid laden histiocytes; no mitotic figures, no pleomorphism
Positive stains: alpha-1-antichymotrypsin, lysozyme, vimentin, factor XIIIa
Negative stains: CD68, CD34
Congenital cyst found on endocardium, particularly along lines of closure of heart valves
More common on mitral and tricuspid valves
Actually diverticula (invagination of atrial endothelium into atrioventricular valves or ventricular endothelium into semilunar valves)
Incidental findings in 50% of infants under age 2 months on cardiac valves; rare after age 2 years
Rarely causes ventricular or valvular obstruction
Case reports: acquired after surgery (J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2003;16:377), on pulmonary valve (Hum Path 1997;28:252)
Gross: usually 3 mm or less; may be blue; 50% are multiple, may have up to 20 cysts
Micro: blood filled cystic cavity with fibromyxoid wall lined by flattened or cobblestone-shaped endothelium; filled with nonorganized blood
Calcified amorphous tumor of heart
Endocardial based intracavity cardiac mass
Mean age 52 years
Clinically simulates neoplasm
Case reports: 2 cm mass in right ventricular wall involving chordae tendineae of tricuspid valve (Cardiovasc Pathol 2006;15:299), hemodialysis patients (Kyobu Geka 2006;59:851)
Treatment: excision is curative, although residual calcium may persist
Gross: firm, yellow-white, partially calcified
Micro: nodular calcium with degenerating blood elements and chronic inflammation
DD: calcified thrombi
References: Hum Path 1997;28:601
Endocardial fibroelastosis of heart
Rare
Focal or diffuse fibroelastic thickening of mural left ventricular endocardium
Usually ages 0-2 years
Focal cases have no symptoms; diffuse cases may cause rapid cardiac decompensation and death (Transplant Proc 2006;38:1511, Am J Forensic Med Pathol 1999;20:357)
Associated with (a) cardiac anomaly, such as aortic valve obstruction, or response to other chronic prenatal cardiac stress (J Clin Pathol 1991;44:576); (b) congenital heart block and maternal anti-Ro or anti-La autoantibodies (Circulation 2002;105:843), (c) mumps or other viral infection (Circulation 1997;95:133)
Declining incidence, with almost no new cases, may be due to declining incidence of mumps (eMedicine)
Case reports: fibroelastosis in neonate with no other cardiac pathology (J Clin Pathol 1992;45:1042)
Treatment: heart transplant
Micro: increased fibroelastic tissue in endocardium and subendocardium; myocardium usually normal
References: OMIM 305300
Rare, but is common among cardiac tumors in children
Benign, congenital, probably a hamartoma; rare cases may represent fibromatosis with aggressive behavior
Presents with heart failure or cyanosis in 1/3, syncope or arrhythmia in 1/3, incidental/asymptomatic in 1/3
Found in 10% of Gorlin’s syndrome patients (nevoid-basal cell carcinoma syndrome)
Case reports: 8 month old boy with nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (Tex Heart Inst J 2006;33:88), sudden death in 7 month old girl (J Forensic Sci 2000;45:731), sudden death in 6 year old boy (Circulation 2000;101:E168)
Treatment: excision, possibly transplant (Curr Opin Cardiol 2000;15:121)
Gross: discrete bulging mass, nearly always solitary, often calcification
Micro: bland fibroblasts and collagen; calcification common; more cellular in infants and children; mitotic figures in infants only; margin is infiltrative; occasionally perivascular lymphocytes and histiocytes, elastic fibers, myxoid stroma
EM: fibroblasts with extensive endoplasmic reticulum but few cellular organelles; incompletely developed/absent basement membrane, ramifying cytoplasmic processes, central nucleus with distinct nucleolus; also cells of intermediate differentiation with smooth muscle myofilaments
DD: fibrosarcoma (rare in infants/young children, prominent mitotic activity), inflammatory pseudotumor / myofibroblastic tumor (endocardial lesions covered by fibrin; stellate tumor cells have obvious nucleoli, more prominent inflammation, occasional mitotic figures and necrosis, Ann Diagn Pathol 2001;5:335), fibrous histiocytoma (extremely rare in heart, lipid-laden histiocytes), scar (grossly does not bulge)
Very rare
Usually incidental finding at autopsy that may be overlooked
Benign tumor of Schwann cells, not myocytes (Archives 1976;100:276)
Only rarely has malignant behavior in heart
Case reports: multicentric tumor of skin and heart (Ann Thorac Surg 1994;57:1653), malignant tumor with multiple foci in myocardium (AJSP 1982;6:665)
Gross: epicardial nodules at base of heart in adults; circumscribed, gray-tan, firm; almost never continuous with nervous tissue
Micro: tumor cells merge with cardiac myocytes; have ill defined cell margins, abundant eosinophilic and granular cytoplasm with bland pyknotic nuclei, similar to granular cell tumors elsewhere
Positive stains: S100, PAS+ diastase resistant granules; also neuron specific enolase
Negative stains: neurofilament, GFAP
EM: granules are membrane bound autophagic vacuoles with cellular debris; may have myelinated and nonmyelinated axon-like structures
DD: disseminated granular cell epulis (tumor of gingiva of infants that rarely disseminates)
Hamartoma of mature cardiac myocytes
Rare
Case reports: 24 year old man (Mod Path 1998;11:496), 33 year old man with shortness of breath (Rev Esp Cardiol 2005;58:450), 33 year old patient with tachycardia (Ann Thorac Surg 2001;71:1673)
Gross: resembles hypertrophic cardiomyopathy but has localized masses or multiple discrete masses, usually in right ventricle or atrium; no septal asymmetry (Hum Path 1998;29:904)
Micro: discrete but unencapsulated nodules of marked myocyte hypertrophy with disorganization (resembles hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), focal scarring and thickened intramural arteries; no myocyte vacuoles
EM: abundant and disorganized myofilaments; normal intercellular junctions
DD: rhabdomyoma (myocyte vacuoles), oncocytic cardiomyopathy
Rare; <5% of benign cardiac tumors
All ages
30% are multiple
Usually asymptomatic, but may cause sudden death or significant cardiac dysfunction by displacing large portions of atria and ventricles
Case reports: necrotic tumor with DIC (Hong Kong Med J 2005;11:308), 49 year old with left atrial tumor (Braz J Cardiovasc Surg 2005;20(4)), with papillary endothelial hyperplasia and liver involvement (Heart 2004;90:e49)
Treatment: complete excision if possible
Micro: types are capillary (small vessels) or cavernous (multiple dilated thin walled vessels) or arteriovenous (thick walled, dysplastic malformed arteries and veins); no necrosis, no mitotic figures, no atypia; intramural tumors may contain adipose or fibrous tissue
DD: angiomatosis (vessels of various sizes with variable wall thickness, adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, Int Heart J 2006;47:469), myxoma (hemangiomas may have myxoid background, but lack myxoma cells or ring structures), angiosarcoma (atypia present)
References: Radiographics 2000;20:1073, Am J Cardiovasc Pathol 1990;3:283
Inflammatory pseudotumor / inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of heart
Previously called plasma cell granuloma
Extremely rare
Usually age 2 months to 17 years
May be intravascular in infants (Pediatr Dev Pathol 2002;5:400)
Case reports: 15 year old boy and 5 month old girl (Archives 1996;120:549), 2 month old boy with multiple tumors (Ann Thorac Surg 2006;82:1531), 72 year old woman (Ann Thorac Surg 2003;75:1971), 55 year old woman with sudden death due to tumor (Forensic Sci Int 1991;49:89)
Treatment: excision, possibly steroids (Pediatr Cardiol 2004;25:406); may recur or continue to grow locally, but no distant metastases (AJSP 1995;19:859)
Gross: up to 8 cm
Micro: spindle cells larger than fibroblasts with obvious nucleoli, inflammatory cells, prominent vasculature, variable myxoid stroma; occasional mitotic figures and necrosis
Positive stains: smooth muscle actin
Negative stains: desmin, S100, CD34, p53 (Ann Diagn Pathol 2001;5:335)
Also called valvular strands
Common finding in elderly patients
Small filiform / papillary processes that are age-related; may be organized mural thrombi at site of minor endothelial damage
Associated with stroke, particularly among younger patients (Stroke 1997;28:2185)
Aortic/pulmonic valves: most common at nodules of Aranti, along lines of closure and free cuspal edges
Tricuspid/mitral valves: at site of valve closure on atrial surface
Case reports: causing embolic stroke (Nervenarzt 2006;77:1492), causing transient ischemic attack (An Med Interna 2006;23:181)
Micro: connective tissue / fibrin covered by endothelium
DD: papillary fibroelastoma (larger, more gelatinous, located away from lines of closure and free edges and on endocardial surfaces of atria and ventricles)
References: Am J Cardiol 1986;58:1223
8-12% of primary tumors of heart and pericardium
Usually on epicardium and asymptomatic
May create ball-valve obstructions or produce arrhythmia
Called lipomatous hypertrophy if in atrial septum
Case reports: massive left atrial lipoma occupying pericardial space (Jpn Heart J 2004;45:715), symptomatic tumor of right atrial free wall (Tex Heart Inst J 1998;25:152), interventricular septum (ASAIO J 2006;52:e35), hibernoma in right atrium (Heart Surg Forum 2006;9:E623)
Gross: may be poorly encapsulated but often circumscribed; spherical or elliptical mass of homogeneous yellow fat
Micro: usually encapsulated, composed of mature fat, may contain trapped myocytes; usually no brown fat cells
References: Hum Path 2006;37:1245
Lipomatous hamartoma of heart valves
Rare
Usually mitral or tricuspid valve
Case reports: tricuspid valve (Clin Cardiol 1991;14:262), fibrolipoma of tricuspid valve (South Med J 1996;89:1018), aortic valve (Jpn J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2005;53:577), with blood cysts (J Am Soc Echocardiogr 1998;11:832)
Treatment: may need to replace valve due to involvement of papillary muscle or adjacent atrial tissue
Micro: mature fat and fibrous tissue; no encapsulation
Lipomatous hypertrophy of cardiac intraatrial septum
Rare (0.6% of cardiac tumors); usually age 60+ years
Associated with increased epicardial fat (heart floats in water), mild to severe obesity
Symptoms include congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, syncope, sudden unexpected cardiac death (Archives 2006;130:397)
Often diagnosed at autopsy (Cesk Patol 2006;42:182)
“Hypertrophy” is a misnomer because mass is due to increased fat cells, not hypertrophied myocytes
Treatment: weight loss, not surgery (Heart 2004;90:e66)
Gross: unencapsulated mass usually confined to atrium; resembles brown fat; associated with cardiac hypertrophy; septal thickness is 2 to 7 cm (normal is < 1 cm); fossa ovalis is usually spared
Micro: multivacuolated fatty infiltration more than 2 cm thick in atrial septum; cells have central nuclei without atypia; some fat cells resemble brown fat and fat cells in malnourished patients; usually atypical and hypertrophied myocytes (AJSP 1996;20:678); variable bands of collagen and chronic inflammatory infiltrates; no mitotic figures, no signet ring structures, no enlarged hyperchromatic and indented nuclei in fat cells
EM: abundant mitochondria in vesicular fat cells
DD: myxoma (has stellate or globular cells, myxoid areas, no fat, no hypertrophied myocytes), lipoma (encapsulated, no muscle fibers), liposarcoma (lipoblasts have large clear vacuoles and hyperchromatic indented nuclei)
References: AJCP 1979;72:785, Hum Path 2006;37:1245
Lipomatous infiltration of heart
Also called fatty heart
Heart may float in water at autopsy
Associated with obesity and lipomatous infiltration of atrial septum
Usually incidental, rarely causes sudden death
Case reports: lipomatous hypertrophy of right ventricle, massive infiltration of left ventricle (Jpn Heart J 1986;27:273)
Gross: diffuse lipomatous infiltration of epicardial surfaces with focal infiltration into myocardium; no discrete masses; marked increase in fat in atrioventricular sulci and over ventricles
Micro: mature fat that may infiltrate into myocardium
DD: arrhymogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (affects right ventricle only, AJR Am J Roentgenol 2007;188:W423)
References: Archives 1982;106:497
Mesothelial / monocytic incidental cardiac excrescence
Benign
Incidental finding of endocardium or pericardium during cardiac valve replacement
Either reactive or an artifact of surgery (AJSP 1994;18:167), although may exist without prior surgery
Case reports: causing acute cardiopulmonary failure (AJSP 2005;29:564), with clusters of metastatic adenocarcinoma cells (AJSP 1997;21:970)
Micro: haphazard mixture of mesothelial cells, histiocytes, fat globules and fibrin; mesothelial cells may form micropapillary or tubular formations; no/minimal stroma, no mitotic activity
Positive stains: CD68 (histiocytes), keratin (mesothelial cells, Ann Diagn Pathol 2000;4:39)
DD: metastatic carcinoma (keratin+ cells with atypia)
References: AJSP 1990;14:993, Mod Path 1994;7:9
Most common primary tumor of heart (~40%), although still rare; distinct from soft tissue myxoma
Sporadic or familial (see Carney syndrome below)
90% occur in atria, 80% on left side
Mean age 50 years
Pedunculated tumors may move through AV value at systole; this “wrecking ball” effect may damage valve leaflets
Symptoms of ball-valve obstruction, emboli, fever/malaise due to IL-6 (mediates acute-phase response, Chest 2003;123:1379)
Associated with HSV infection (Am J Pathol 2003;163:2407)
Benign (only rare metastases), but malignant in a sense because often embolizes (30-40%) and may cause death; embolization may be related to overexpression of matrix metalloproteinases (Am J Pathol 2005;166:1619); rarely embolizes in toto (Jpn Heart J 2004;45:359)
Rarely causes aneurysms (Neurol India 2005;53:216)
Stromal cells may arise from multipotent mesenchyme capable of neural and endothelial differentiation, with glands representing entrapped foregut rests (Am Heart J 2000;140:134)
Carney syndrome/complex: 10% of cases; autosomal dominant with multiple cardiac and extracardiac (skin) myxomas, spotty skin pigmentation, endocrine overactivity, schwannomas, epithelioid blue nevus (Orphanet J Rare Dis 2006 Jun 6;1:21); these patients are younger (mean 24 years), usually men (66% vs. 24% in non-familial cases), multicentric (33%, AJSP 1985;9:53); caused by mutations in protein kinase A regulatory subunit 1 alpha (PRKAR1A, Circ J 2005;69:994, Nat Genet 2000;26:89)
Case reports: Case of the Week #78 (glandular differentiation), infected (MJA 2006;185:332), with thymoma / thymic rests (AJSP 2005;29:1208);
metastases - to brain resembling epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (AJSP 1994;18:107), to choroid plexus and scapula (AJSP 1980;4:391), to small intestine (Archives 2003;127:481), to temporal bone (AJCP 1989;91:221)
Treatment: excision; no/rare recurrence (Yonsei Med J 2006;47:367)
Gross: usually solitary at fossa ovalis, up to 10 cm, sessile or pedunculated, 41% have surface thrombus; soft, polypoid (particularly when examined under water), pale, lobulated; rarely petrified due to repeated hemorrhage (Archives 1989;113:742); rarely grows on both sides of fossa ovalis
Micro: complex structures resembling cords, nests, rings or poorly formed glands, often surrounding blood vessels; composed of stellate or globular myxoma cells with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, indistinct cell borders, oval nucleus with open chromatin and indistinct nuclei; abundant mucopolysaccharide (myxoid) ground substance containing chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid (Life Sci 2003;73:849); usually inflammation, hemorrhage; often more cellular and mitotic activity near surface; variable fibrosis (41%), calcification (20%), Gamna-Gandy bodies (17%, identical to those in spleen of sickle cell anemia patients), ossification (8%), extramedullary hematopoiesis (7%, more common in children), mucin-forming glands (3%, Indian Heart J 2003;55:182), atypia (3%), thymic rests (1%); may embolize to peripheral arteries
Positive stains: CD31, CD34, calretinin (strong, diffuse, cytoplasmic and nuclear staining, AJCP 2000;114:754), S100 (Am Heart J 2000;140:134), vimentin; glandular components may be keratin+; variable Factor VIII (surface cells may be positive, otherwise negative)
Negative stains: CD68, cytokeratin (except for glandular elements)
EM: features of endothelial, smooth muscle and immature mesechymal cells; cells have numerous cytoplasmic filaments (Cancer 1977;40:2216)
DD: mural myxoid thrombi (no nests, cords or rings, calretinin negative, image), left atrial appendage thrombus (Circulation 2006;113:e456), metastatic carcinoma if myxoma has glandular structures (carcinoma has anaplasia, mitotic activity), myxoid sarcoma, papillary fibroelastoma (on valve cusps, avascular papillary fronds)
References: AJCP 1993;100:671, eMedicine, Wikipedia, OMIM 255960, Radiographics 2002;22:673
Necrobiotic xanthogranuloma of heart
Rare
Associated with similar lesions in lung and skin; also leukopenia, paraproteinemia and complement deficiencies (Mayo Clin Proc 1997;72:1028); also nodular transformation of liver (Pathology 1985;17:533)
Case reports: myocardial lesions at autopsy (Hum Path 1992;23:195), pericardial, pulmonary and cutaneous involvement (Ann Dermatol Venereol 2003;130:341)
Micro: amorphous necrotic tissue, foamy macrophages / giant cells with vacuoles and inclusions, lymphocytes
Papillary fibroelastoma of heart
Also called giant Lambl’s excrescence
8-10% of all heart tumors; third most common after myxoma and lipoma
Mean age 60 years
Benign
Usually an incidental finding at autopsy, although may embolize (higher risk if large, mobile, left-sided, Circulation 2001;103:2687), or prolapse into coronary artery
More common on valve surface or endocardium
Associated with prior cardiac surgery or thoracic radiation (Hum Path 2002;33:1165)
Case reports: 59 year old woman with atrial mass (Archives 2001;125:1605), arising in right coronary ostium (Archives 1992;116:135), presenting as left ventricular mass (Tex Heart Inst J 2006;33:63), two lesions of aortic valve (Tex Heart Inst J 2004;31:448)
Treatment: either no intervention, excision or warfarin
Gross: distinctive cluster of yellow-white hairlike projections up to 1 cm in diameter covering large portions of valvular surface (usually aortic and mitral); often with adherent thrombus; often multiple
Micro: narrow, elongated and branching papillary fronds composed of central avascular collagen and variable elastic tissue, surrounded by acid mucopolysaccharide and lined by hyperplastic endothelial cells
DD: Lambl’s excrescences (not branched, not gelatinous, smaller, only at lines of closure), myxoma (no elastic tissue)
References: Am Heart J 2003;146:404, Arq Bras Cardiol 2005;85:205
Also called extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma (if secretes catecholamines) or chemodectoma (at carotid body)
Either functional (secretes catecholamine, associated with hypertension, headache, flushing) or non-functional
Very rare
Sites: left atrium or near aortic root, where intrinsic cardiac ganglia (chromaffin cells) are located
Case reports: pigmented tumor causing sudden death in 40 year old man (Archives 2001;125:680), 34 year old woman with 6 cm atrial tumor (Heart Lung Circ 2007;16:116), 25 year old with bone metastases (Circulation 1998;97:1993)
Treatment: excision or transplantation; 5-10% recur or metastasize after excision
Gross: 5-7 cm, unencapsulated; on epicardium but may infiltrate adjacent cardiac tissue
Micro: unencapsulated, organoid appearance (zellballen/nests of cells) surrounded by sustentacular cells; no necrosis, no/minimal mitotic figures
Positive stains: chromogranin, neuron-specific enolase; sustentacular cells-S100
Negative stains: calcitonin
EM: norepinephrine-type granules, few epinephrine-type granules
References: AJSP 1985;9:827
50-90% of primary heart tumors in children
Usually discovered in patients less than 1 year of age, rarely in fetuses (Ital Heart J 2002;3:48)
May obstruct valvular orifice or cardiac chamber; may present with sudden cardiac death (Pediatr Dev Pathol 2007;10:129)
Not a true neoplasm, but a hamartoma or malformation due to mutation in TSC1 and TSC2 genes
50% of patients have tuberous sclerosis; sporadic cases are occasionally associated with congenital heart disease
Case reports: 2 year old boy with tuberous sclerosis (Archives 2002;126:1559), diffuse rhabdomyomatosis in 13 year old boy (Archives 1977;101:78)
Treatment: many tumors regress spontaneously; excision if left ventricular outflow tract obstruction or refractory arrhythmia
Gross: small, firm, gray-white, well-circumscribed myocardial masses (often multiple) that protrude into ventricles; average size is 3-4 cm, up to 10 cm, particularly in sporadic cases
rhabdomyomatosis - numerous miliary nodules less than 1 mm
Micro: clear cells and large, rounded, polygonal cells (“spider cells”) with glycogen vacuoles separated by strands of cytoplasm extending between cell membrane and nucleus; no mitotic activity
adult tumors: more cellular with smaller cells, few spider cells and more cellular proliferation (Hum Path 2002;33:1092)
Positive stains: PAS+ diastase sensitive (for glycogen), myoglobin, actin, desmin, vimentin; variable HMB45
Negative stains: S100
EM: altered myocytes with abundant glycogen, small and sparse mitochondria; cellular junctions resembling intercalated disks are extensive and randomly distributed, not just at poles of cell as in normal myocytes (Hum Path 1977;8:700)
DD: lipoma (usually epicardial, no myofibers, no glycogen), granular cell tumor (epicardial, no vacuoles, no myofibers, S100+, desmin-, myoglobin-), glycogen storage disease (no well formed nodules, cells have intercalated disks at poles by EM), histiocytoid myopathy (small tumor nodules, finely granular cells, no large vacuoles, no spider cells; a variant of rhabdomyomatosis)
References: Mod Path 1991;4:70, TheFetus.net
Case reports: incidental finding of schwannoma with focus of metastatic adenocarcinoma from lung (Archives 1984;108:300), 57 year old man with atrial tumor (J Cardiothorac Surg 2007;2:1), 61 year old woman with atrial tumor (Cardiovasc Pathol 2003;12:290)
Very rare in heart; more common in lung
Usually benign, but may have malignant histology
Micro: circumscribed; organoid pattern of tumor cells with clear to eosinophilic cytoplasm, abundant glycogen in rich vasculature; no/rare mitotic figures, no necrosis
Positive stains: HMB45
Negative stains: S100, keratin, neuroendocrine markers, muscle markers
EM: glycogen, abundant mitochondria, premelanosomes
DD: paraganglioma, clear cell sarcoma, melanoma, melanocytic clear cell neoplasm of the kidney
References: Mod Path 2001;14:615-free full text
Tumor with perivascular myoid differentiation of heart
Very rare in heart
May recur after surgery, particularly in adults
Case reports: 70 year old woman with right atrial mass (J Clin Pathol 2004;57:1338)
Micro: round, undifferentiated to epithelioid cells surrounding prominent, thin walled, staghorn vessels
Positive stains: alpha smooth muscle actin
Negative stains: CD34
DD: hemangiopericytoma (CD34+, actin-), solitary myofibroma, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, glomus tumor, vascular leiomyoma
Usually dilated thrombosed vein in right atrium that arises from inferior rim of fossa ovalis
Incidence varies from 0.1% to 2.5% at autopsy
Asymptomatic
Case reports: 3 cm, round, cystic mass attached to lower rim of fossa ovalis in right atrium (Circ J 2006;70:793), 19 year old woman with 8 cm mass compressing right atrium (Ann Thorac Surg 2004;78:e96)
Gross: blue, raised area inferior to fossa ovalis
Micro: unilocular, blood-filled cyst lined by endothelial cells and filled with organizing thrombus
DD: blood cyst (congenital, along lines of closure of heart valves)
Cardiac tumors-malignant
Common primary malignancy of heart, although still rare
Usually atrium; right sided more common than left
Often men, mean age 40 years
Metastases present at diagnosis in 89%, usually to liver and lung (may present as diffuse hemorrhage, Archives 2001;125:1562)
Case reports: 36 year old man with HIV (Archives 2005;129:943), 54 year old man with persistent pericardial effusion (Archives 2005;129:117), presenting with cutaneous metastases (Archives 1998;122:273)
Treatment: usually no effective treatment; poor prognosis with death commonly in a few months