Heart tumor, this is Flavio Briatore’s cancer. Discovered following a routine check-up, the entrepreneur’s pathology is among the rarest, to the point that it represents 0.02% of all human tumors.
Briatore underwent heart surgery for a benign heart tumor, the entrepreneur on social media: «Successful operation»
Cardiac tumor, what is it
Cardiac tumors are characterized by the appearance of neoplastic cells in the structures of the heart. Divided into primitive (i.e. born from a transformation of cardiac cells) e metastatic (appearing as a consequence of the onset of tumors in other locations), are very rare tumors with few clinical or autopsy cases, even in the order of 0.5 per 1,000. Like all tumors, they can be benign and malignant, with the former being decidedly more frequent.
Benign primary cardiac tumors are predominantly represented by myxoma (more than 50%). It is more common in women than in men and develops predominantly in the left atrium. It can be of various sizes and have two main anatomical shapes: peduncle-shaped, mobile within the cardiac cavity and therefore complex in management, or sessile, adherent to the cardiac walls. Among the less frequent primary cardiac tumors, there are papillary fibroelastoma, of fibrous origin (arises in correspondence with the heart valves and the worst complication is embolism); rhabdomyoma, mostly found in childhood, which usually regresses with age, fibroma, hemangioma, which is generally discovered by chance; paraganglioma, which is uniquely found in the heart; lipomas and pericardial cysts which, although not, simulate a tumor.
As regards primary malignant cardiac tumors, among the most frequent we find sarcoma, often angiosarcoma, which usually develops in the right atrium and can cause problems on the tricuspid valve or right ventricle. The sarcoma can metastasize – usually to the lungs – or extend to the pericardium. Other forms include leiosarcoma, liposarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and histocytoma. Mesothelioma and cardiac lymphoma, often associated with immunodepressive syndromes, are rarer forms.
Symptoms
Often confused with other cardiac pathologies, the symptoms of these types of tumors are not easily interpretable. Among the most common we find systemic symptoms, such as fever, drowsiness, tiredness, weight loss, embolisms and pericarditis; valvular symptoms or decompensation (for cavitary tumors); symptoms from infiltration or compression of the conduction path such as arrhythmias, conduction blocks (if the tumor passes close to the cardiac conduction band) and tachycardia and symptoms that vary with the posture typical of pedunculated tumors. Many of these cardiac tumors, however, are completely asymptomatic, to the point that fibroelastomas and rhabdomyomas are most often discovered by chance.
Causes and diagnosis
The causes of the onset of primary cardiac tumors are currently unknown, with the exception of familial forms and metastatic ones, due to infiltration of previous tumors. For diagnosis, doctors mainly use cardiac CT scans, color Doppler echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.
The cure
To treat benign primary cardiac tumors it is necessary to remove the neoplastic tissue, if no inoperable parts are involved. However, complete removal of the tumor must include the elimination of the implant base, i.e. the point where the tumor attaches to the heart tissue.
Briatore’s intervention
The benign heart tumor that affected Flavio Briatore, who underwent surgery at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, is a rare pathology (these tumors represent 0.02% of all human tumors), often identified by chance. The manager was operated on March 19 by Francesco Maisano, cardiac surgeon at San Raffaele. It was a minimally invasive operation, performed via endoscopic thoracotomy, with extracorporeal circulation. A typical feature of benign tumors is that they can grow, but not invade surrounding tissues and other organs. Malignant tumors, however, have exactly this ability. Additionally, these cancer cells can spread to other regions of the body and form metastases. «Among the benign forms – explain the specialists of the Monzino Cardiology Center in Milan on the Irccs website – myxoma is the most widespread and alone represents more than half of the benign tumors that can affect the heart muscle. Typically located in the left atrium of the heart, the tumor mass is not destined to generate metastases. The presence of myxoma can manifest itself with breathlessness, dizziness, syncope or sudden changes in the state of consciousness, but much more often myxoma is asymptomatic. It thus happens, not infrequently, that we discover it occasionally during a sports medical examination or one carried out by the occupational doctor. In any case, once the diagnosis has been made, the therapeutic solution is unique and corresponds to the surgical removal of the tumor mass.”
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