Two thirds of primary tumors of the heart are benign, and half of the benign tumors are myxomas. Metastatic tumors of the heart are 20 to 40 times more common than primary tumors. Metastatic tumors originate mainly in melanomas, leukemias/lymphomas, and carcinomas, especially of the lung or breast. The parts of the heart affected, in decreasing order of frequency, are the pericardium, myocardium, and endocardium. The clinical diagnosis is suggested by a patient with cancer and a normal heart who develops any kind of heart disease that is progressive and unresponsive to the usual methods of treatment. Irradiation, percardiocentesis, and injection with chemotherapeutic agents are effective in ameliorating symptoms from lymphomas/leukemias of the heart and in pericardial effusions due to malignant disease.
原发性心脏肿瘤三分之二为良性，其中一半为黏液瘤。心脏转移瘤比原发性肿瘤常见20至40倍。转移瘤主要起源于黑色素瘤、白血病/淋巴瘤和癌，尤其是肺癌或乳腺癌。心脏受影响的部位，按频率递减顺序依次为心包、心肌和心内膜。临床诊断提示为患有癌症且心脏正常的患者出现任何一种进行性且对常规治疗方法无反应的心脏病。放疗、心包穿刺术以及注射化疗药物对于缓解心脏淋巴瘤/白血病引起的症状以及恶性疾病导致的心包积液有效。
