Fifty two patients with primary cardiac tumors were operated on at the Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia between 1962 and 1991. Among the benign neoplasms, 43 were myxomas; the only two malignant tumors were rhabdomyosarcomas. The mean age of the patients was 41 years (range 15 days to 68 years); 33 patients were females and 19 males; 52.6% had congestive heart failure, 18% had chest pain or palpitation and 16% taquiarrhythmias. Complete resection was carried out in 50 patients. The two patients with malignant tumors had only been submitted to biopsy. All patients survived operation, although 3 died in the early postoperative period. One patient with myxoma presented recurrence three years after the innitial surgery and was reoperated on. The follow up data of 20 patients are available, all in NYHA functional class I. Longterm results were excellent in this group.
heart tumors