Cardiac Cancer: An Evidence-Based Study of Occurrence

Our plain-English summary of Cardiac Cancer: An Evidence-Based Study of Occurrence, by Z. Tolou-Ghamari (Current Cardiology Reviews, 2026).

The study

• Author: Z. Tolou-Ghamari
• Journal: Current Cardiology Reviews
• Published: 2026;22(2):e1573403X349291
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Introduction: From 1931 to 2025, spanning 94 years, cardiac cancer has remained a rare and sporadic tumor that poses both an investigative dilemma and a therapeutic challenge. Autopsy findings indicate that the incidence of primary cardiac malignancies is approximately 0.02 percent. Surgical resection is considered a viable and often successful treatment option.

Aims: The present study aims to provide an overall assessment of cardiac cancer in Isfahan Province, Iran.

Objectives: To provide detailed information on specific aspects, such as frequency and demographic characteristics of cardiac cancer.

Methods: The representative data of this study were drawn from the general population of Isfahan Province. SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) data were obtained from the Deputy of Health, Division of Registry of Cancer (between 2011 and 2015). With attention to subject selection (the authors followed the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) Guidelines), and according to the ICDO topography code, C38 was considered for further investigation as heart cancer or cardiac tumors.

Results And Discussion: During the study period, a total of 30,465 cancer patients were recorded, comprising 14,638 females and 15,827 males. Among these, 122 cases (0.4 percent) were identified as cardiac cancer, including 42 females and 80 males. The patients' ages ranged from 3 to 95 years, with a mean age of 46.8 ± 21.5 years. The annual distribution of reported cardiac tumors during the study period was as follows: 34, 37, 18, and 33 cases, respectively. Based on available data from the monographic code M, which does not specify subtypes, the following conditions were recorded: mesothelioma (n = 25), neoplasm (n = 11), Hodgkin lymphoma, nodular sclerosis, NOS (n = 14), and other unspecified conditions. A total of three deaths were reported.

Conclusion: In the population studied, the frequency of cardiac cancer in men was significantly higher than in women. Age related to cardiac cancer in 51% was between 40-70 years old. For the patient satisfaction and financial aspects of the Iranian health system, further consideration is suggested regarding referral systems, evidence-based pharmacotherapy, and post-surgery outcome inquiries.

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In plain English

This was a retrospective study of cancer registry records from Isfahan Province, Iran, covering March 2011 to March 2015. The author selected cases recorded under topography code C38, which the article treats as heart cancer or cardiac tumors. Of 30,465 recorded cancer patients, 122 (0.4%) had this code. The text reports 42 females and 80 males, although a table gives 82 males and 40 females. Ages ranged from 3 to 95 years, with a mean of 46.8 years, and 51% were aged 40 to 70. Tumor types were recorded only as broad diagnostic codes. The listed diagnoses included mesothelioma (benign or malignant) in 25 patients, unspecified neoplasm in 11, and several types of lymphoma. Other diagnoses were recorded but not itemized. The article does not say where in the body these mesotheliomas arose beyond code C38, and it does not report asbestos or any other exposure. Three deaths were recorded. The author concluded that cardiac tumors were rare in this population and significantly more frequent in men than in women. The author noted the retrospective design as a limitation.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Retrospective descriptive study of cancer registry records (single author)
• Who was studied: 122 patients recorded under topography code C38 (treated by the author as heart cancer or cardiac tumors), out of 30,465 cancer patients in the Isfahan Cancer Registry, Isfahan Province, Iran, March 2011 to March 2015
• Exposure: No exposure was studied. The article does not report asbestos or any other occupational or environmental exposure for these patients.
• Main results:
  • 122 of 30,465 recorded cancer patients (0.4%) were recorded with cardiac tumors (code C38)
  • Among the 122 patients, the text reports 42 females and 80 males. Table 1 instead lists 82 males and 40 females.
  • Mean age was 46.8 years (standard deviation 21.5) overall: 40.7 years in females (range 11 to 83) and 50.0 years in males (range 3 to 95)
  • Age distribution of the 122 patients: under 20 years 11%, 20 to 40 years 25%, 40 to 70 years 51%, 70 to 95 years 13%
  • Among the listed diagnostic codes were code 9050, mesothelioma (benign or malignant), in 25 patients, and benign epithelioid mesothelioma in 4 patients (Table 1). Other listed codes were neoplasm, benign or malignant (11), Hodgkin lymphoma, nodular sclerosis (8), Hodgkin lymphoma not otherwise specified (8 in the text, 6 in the table), benign epithelial tumor (5) and mature T-cell lymphoma (5). Other diagnoses were recorded but not itemized.
  • Three deaths were recorded among the 122 patients: one female (age not recorded) and two males aged 53 and 77 years
  • Cases recorded per year: 34 in 2011 to 2012, 37 in 2012 to 2013, 18 in 2013 to 2014, and 33 in 2014 to 2015
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that cardiac tumors were rare in the population studied, that frequency was significantly higher in men than in women, and that prospective surveys are needed on combining pharmacotherapy with expert surgical supervision.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The study was limited by its retrospective nature
  • The registry's morphology code did not specify tumor subtypes

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Autopsy, Surgical Resection, SEER, Epidemiology, Mesothelioma, Neoplasm.

Related studies

• Cardiac masses: assessment by MR imaging — J.T. Lund, R.L. Ehman, et al. (1989)
• Surgical pathology of primary cardiac and pericardial tumors — C. Basso, M. Valente, et al. (1997)
• Echocardiographic characteristics of primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma and outcomes analysis: a retrospective study — L. Kong, Z. Li, et al. (2018)
• Primary cardiac tumors: experience at the University of Minnesota — J.E. Molina, J.E. Edwards, et al. (1990)
• Primary tumors and cysts of the heart and pericardium — H.A. McAllister (1979)
• Epidemiology of primary malignant mesothelial tumors in Canada — A.D. McDonald, A. Harper, et al. (1970)

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