Avondo Stefano, Andreis Alessandro, Casula Matteo, Imazio Massimo
Cardiovascular and Thoracic Department, University Cardiology, AOU Città Della Salute e Della Scienza Di Torino , Torino, Italy.
Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2020 Sep;18(9):615-623. doi: 10.1080/14779072.2020.1811087. Epub 2020 Aug 25.
Pericardial neoplasms are uncommon, mostly due to secondary involvement of the pericardium by extracardiac tumors. Clinical presentation is nonspecific, frequently leading to a delayed diagnosis. Moreover, both benign and malignant pericardial tumors may be associated with myocardial infiltration and mechanical compression of cardiac chambers, possibly precipitating clinical conditions. Pericardial tumors are indeed a diagnostic and therapeutic clinical challenge.
This review aims to provide an overview of the main clinical characteristics of pericardial tumors, along with their management in clinical practice.
Multimodality imaging (echocardiography, chest X-ray, CT, CMR, and PET) enable full characterization of pericardial neoplasms. An individualized strategy should be developed by a multidisciplinary team including cardiologists, oncologists, radiologists, and cardiac surgeons.
