Abstract
Objective
Our multidisciplinary cardiac tumor team now has an experience of operating on 122
cases of primary cardiac sarcoma over a 23-year period. The purpose of this study
is to present our short- and long-term outcomes for cardiac sarcoma.
Methods
We performed a retrospective review of a prospectively collected Institutional Review
Board–approved cardiac tumor database for cardiac sarcoma. Patient characteristics,
surgical factors, and patient outcomes were analyzed. Perioperative data were collected
from direct patient communication and all available medical records. The primary end
point was all-cause mortality at 1, 3, and 5 years from the time of our surgery and
1, 3, and 5 years from the initial diagnosis. The secondary end point was all-cause
mortality between the first and second halves of the study.
Results
From October 1998 to April 2021, we operated on 122 patients with a primary cardiac
sarcoma. The mean age was 45.3 years old, and 52.5% were male. Tumors were most frequently
found in the left atrium (40.2%) and right atrium (32.0%). The most common type of
tumor histologically was an angiosarcoma (38.5%), followed by high-grade sarcoma (14.8%).
Survival from initial diagnosis at 1, 3, and 5 years was 88.4%, 43.15%, and 27.8%,
respectively. Survival from surgery at our institution at 1 and 3 years was 57.1%
and 24.5%, respectively. When comparing outcomes from different time periods, we found
no significant difference in survival between the previous era (1998-2011) and the
current era (2011-2021).
Conclusions
Management of these complex patients can show reasonable outcomes in centers with
a multidisciplinary cardiac tumor team. Mortality has not improved with time and is
likely related to the systemic nature of this disease.
Graphical abstract

Graphical Abstract
Key Words
Abbreviations and Acronyms:
CI (confidence interval), CPB (cardiopulmonary bypass), IQR (interquartile range), PCS (primary cardiac sarcoma)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 31, 2022
Accepted:
October 13,
2021
Received in revised form:
September 28,
2021
Received:
June 14,
2021
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofFootnotes
The Institutional Review Board approved the study (Pro00006836:1). The subjects provided written informed consent for the publication of the study data.
Read at the 101st Annual Meeting of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery: A Virtual Learning Experience, April 30-May 2, 2021.
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© 2022 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery