Heart Cancer Treatment

Cancer of the heart. Heart cancer is very rare and develops in the tissues of the heart. It is also known as a cardiac sarcoma or an angiosarcoma. The general belief is that cells that divide regularly (tissues that are constantly regenerating such as the skin and bones) are more likely to develop cancer than heart tissue who's cells generally don't divide at all. (Source: WD Writers)

Causes of Heart cancer

Chest Pain: Differential Diagnosis
(In a Page: Signs and Symptoms)

• Cardiovascular etiologies
  –Myocardial infarction
  –Angina
  –Acute coronary syndrome
  –Pulmonary embolus
  –Pericarditis
  –Arrhythmias
  –Mitral valve prolapse
  –Aortic stenosis
  –Aortic dissection
  –Cardiac tamponade
• Pulmonary etiologies
  –Pneumonia
  –COPD
  –Asthma
  –Pneumothorax
  –Tension pneumothorax
  –Hemothorax
  –Empyema
  –Pneumomediastinum
  –Lung cancer
• Gastrointestinal etiologies
  –Esophagitis/GERD
  –Gastritis
  –Peptic ulcer disease
  –Perforated ulcer
  –Esophageal spasm
  –Pancreatitis
  –Esophageal rupture
  –Pneumoperitoneum
• Musculoskeletal etiologies
  –Muscle strain or spasm
  –Intercostal muscle spasm
  –Costochondritis
  –Trauma (e.g., rib fracture)
• Zoster
• Cancer (e.g., lymphoma)
• Panic disorder
• Less common etiologies include Tietze's syndrome, Pott's disease (tuberculosis of the spine), xyphodenia, cholecystitis, peritonitis, liver cancer, and hepatitis

Chest Pain: Differential Diagnosis
(In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms)

• Musculoskeletal
  –Sharp, stabbing pain that is usually very well localized, often worsened by deep breath or cough
  –Costochondritis: Tender parasternal pain at insertion of ribs into cartilage en route to sternum; increases with palpation or mild chest compression (possibly postviral)
  –Injury to chest wall

• Pulmonary
  –Very common cause, usually associated with respiratory symptoms: Shortness of breath, cough, exercise intolerance
  –Asthma (most common), often only EIA; may have personal/family history of atopy (asthma, eczema, seasonal allergies); shortness of breath is usually primary complaint, with feeling of chest tightness/pain as a secondary symptom
  –Pleuritic chest pain: Sharp, stabbing pain with deep breaths, indicates pleural space inflammation, probably postinfectious (especially viral)
  –Pneumonia: Chest pain secondary to cough or pleural involvement
  –Pneumothorax can occur spontaneously, especially in tall, thin athletes

• Gastrointestinal
  –GERD and PUD: Burning, substernal pain with eating, worse at night
  –Rarely pancreatitis (with back pain too), cholecystitis, hiatal hernia, hepatitis

• Cardiac: Rare in children
  –Precordial catch syndrome: Sharp, brief (seconds) chest pain usually associated with rising from lying or sitting; unclear etiology, but of no significance
  –Pericarditis: Inflammation of the pericardium; often postviral, may represent connective tissue/autoimmune, cancer, bacterial infection (very ill appearing with fever), or post-cardiac surgery; patients often lean forward to decrease the pain
  –MI (rare): Congenital coronary anomaly, post-Kawasaki, cocaine use, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  –Aortic dissection: Consider if features or history of Marfan syndrome is present

Chest pain: Medical causes
(Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition))

Treatment

• Attention to airway, breathing, and circulation
• All patients with suspected coronary artery disease should initially be treated with supplemental O₂, aspirin, and nitroglycerin; morphine may be added if pain does not subside
• 
  
• If an acute myocardial infarction is suspected, β-blockers, ACE inhibitors, heparin (usually low molecular weight heparin, enoxaparin), thrombolytic therapy or primary angioplasty (PTCA), and/or glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (e.g., eptifibatide, abciximab, or tirofiban) may be indicated
• Treat other etiologies as appropriate (e.g., antiarrhythmics and/or cardioversion for arrhythmias, pericardiocentesis for cardiac tamponade, H2 blockers or PPIs for GERD and peptic ulcer disease, antibiotics for pneumonia, bronchodilators and steroids for asthma)
• Emergent surgery for aortic dissections that involve the aortic arch proximal to left subclavian artery (type A); strict blood pressure control for type B dissections that only involve the aorta distal to left subclavian artery

this article was quoted from wrongdiagnosis.com