Heart Cancer Symptoms in Indian Adults

Introduction

When we run, see a puppy wiggle its tail towards us, get a heartfelt compliment or even see a gift-wrapped box addressed to us, we can feel our chest thumping loudly. This is our heart beating tirelessly to keep us alive. The heart is a hard-working vital organ that works at pumping blood that contains oxygen and nutrients to the rest of our body.

When such a vital organ is affected, you should never take it lightly. Heart attacks and high blood pressure are common conditions that most of us are aware of. Because of this awareness, we can detect unhealthy patterns and symptoms and react almost immediately.

Heart cancer, on the other hand, is a rare condition with very little research around it. Though the heart rarely develops tumours, any cancerous developments in the lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas or stomach may end up spreading to the heart as well.

As our heart is one of the most integral parts of our body and its functions, understanding even the rare conditions that may affect it, like heart cancer, is the key to maintaining a good heart and overall health.

Understanding Heart Cancer

The heart works tirelessly to pump blood to the rest of your body. It is an organ closely connected with your lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas and stomach. Because they are so interconnected, a problem with one could affect the other. A rare but important occasion of this is the case of heart cancer.

Heart cancer is a condition where the cells of the heart become cancerous and cause damage to the structure and functioning of the heart. This is called primary heart cancer or primary cardiac tumour. As dangerous as it sounds, this is a very rare condition that has been cited to occur in only a handful of people in India. Only 2 out of 100,000 people are affected by primary heart cancer every year. This indicates how rare the cases of heart cancer are. It is also worth noting that only about 25% of the cases are potentially dangerous (malignant)¹.

Most of these tumours migrate to the heart through affected neighbouring organs like the lungs or breasts. Cancer cells multiply and grow rapidly. However, once affected, a cardiac tumour can drastically change the blood flow and heart rhythms. This is precisely why it is important to stay informed and take regular heart checkups.

To Summarize:

• Heart cancer is typically a tumour in the heart.
• It may be caused by abnormal growth in heart cells or by cancer spreading from nearby organs.
• Cardiac cancer is a very rare condition, most of which are benign.
• Malignant cardiac tumours can affect the heart rhythm and blood flow. Ensure that you understand the condition and take regular heart check-ups.

Types of Tumours That Develop in the Heart

Tumours are abnormal growths of body tissues and cells. Not all growths need to be alarming. Tumours can be anywhere from a small inconvenience that can be left alone, to a life-threatening cancer that needs immediate medical attention. The key to differentiating them is to stay educated and seek medical attention without delay.

Here are some major types of heart tumours:

Malignant Tumours

Malignant is a term used to indicate the potential threat of a tumour. Malignant tumours are fast multiplying and spreading, especially to other organs. When it comes to heart cancer, some of the malignant tumours to keep watch for are:

• Sarcomas: Cardiac Sarcoma is a type of rare heart cancer that is considered a primary tumour. This means that it has started in the heart itself, rather than through the spread of cancerous cells from another organ. The heart tumour symptoms with sarcoma are swelling in the feet or abdomen, chest pain between the breasts, etc. 
• Primary Cardiac Lymphoma: Lymphoma is cancer involving white blood cells (lymphocytes). Primary cardiac lymphoma is an extremely rare type of cardiac cancer that affects mostly the internal areas of the heart and the pericardium.
• Pericardial Mesothelioma: This is an extremely rare heart cancer that forms in the pericardium, which lines the heart. This can be due to asbestos exposure, radiation exposure, some dyes used for scans and other conditions affecting the lungs².

Benign Tumours

Benign is a term used to describe potentially harmless tumours that do not spread to other organs. They grow at an unconcerned speed and tend to be unproblematic. It is still good to understand the benign tumours to rule out your worry:

• Rhabdomyoma: Rhabdomyoma is a type of cardiac tumour that is both internal and extracardiac, meaning that it occurs outside the heart as well. This is the most common type of heart cancer that occurs among children.
• Fibroma: Fibroma is made up of fibroids or clusters of connective tissues. These could form at any part of our body without any specific reason. However, they do not need immediate medical attention or even removal.
• Myxoma: This is another one of the heart tumours that are primarily cardiac (starts within the heart). The symptoms for this include a slight chest pain under the left breast as this occurs in the left atrium (most commonly) of the heart.

Common Cancers from Other Organs That Spread to the Heart

Many of the heart cancers originate elsewhere. These are called extracardiac cancers. When the cancerous cells from these neighbouring organs develop at a fast rate, they can reach and damage other organs of the body, including the heart. Here are a few other cancers to test along with your heart check-up:

• Lung cancer: Lungs are the organs responsible for our breathing. Tumours can form in the lining and lymph nodes of the lungs and quickly spread to the other organs, causing shortness of breath and affecting the functions of other organs as well.
• Kidney cancer: The kidneys are vital organs that are in charge of removing excess water and waste from your body. When the cancerous cells of the kidneys start multiplying, they form a malignant tumour. However, the recent medical developments capable of treating kidney or renal cancer can make it possible even at advanced stages.
• Breast cancer: A malignant tumour in the breasts is called breast cancer. It usually forms in the milk ducts and quickly spreads to the rest of the breast. This can be stopped from seeping into other organs through active medication or even mastectomy (surgical removal of breast tissues). 
• Skin cancer: Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer. This usually occurs due to the abnormal growth of cells that are exposed to too much sunlight.
• Lymphoma: Lymphoma is a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic tissues like the thymus, bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen. It usually starts in the lymphocytes, which are the infection-fighting cells of our body. 
• Leukaemia: Also called blood cancer, it occurs in the bone marrow of the bones. It is characterised by profuse bleeding, infections, constant fevers and noticeable bruises³.

To Summarize

• Our cells constantly grow and multiply as a part of their life cycle. However, any mutations or abnormalities in this growth process can cause uncontrolled, abnormal growth of cells to form tumours.
• Not all tumours are harmful and can be harmless or benign as well. These are localised and can be easily contained.
• Malignant tumours are cancerous. They may also be metastatic, meaning that they spread to other organs and affect their functioning too.

Heart Cancer Symptoms in Indian Adults

Our body contains all the vital organs we need to breathe, eat, move and function. Issues related to the heart and the lungs are particularly crucial and need to be addressed immediately. While we may not be able to explicitly monitor the health of any of our organs, it is important to watch out for any symptoms that may show us that we need a heart check-up. 

Here are the common symptoms of heart cancer to closely look for:

• Fluid buildup in lungs: During the later stages of cancer, the malignant cells could build up quickly and cause a fluid collection around the lungs. This is called malignant pleural effusion. This is also an indication that cancer has spread to other parts of the body as well, so you can watch for heart tumours, especially if you experience discomfort or chest pain between the breasts.
• Breathlessness: Breathlessness is a sign of damage to the lungs as well. Those experiencing any shortness of breath or chest pain in the left breast could indicate damage to the lungs and heart failure. 
• Angina: Angina is chest pain, typically in the left breast or chest, caused by the lack of blood flow to the heart. This is a sign of heart disease and unless diagnosed, you may end up confusing breast pain with chest pain.
• Spitting up/coughing up blood: Sometimes, the heart cannot keep up with the blood supply to it. Thus, it sends some of the blood back (called build-up), to the lungs, causing damage to the lungs that can make you cough up blood. This might cause build-ups in the kidneys, liver, pancreas and stomach as well.
• Fatigue and weakness: Your heart often works hard to pump blood to the kidneys, liver, pancreas and stomach as well as the rest of the body. This could cause breathlessness and fatigue, which is especially indicative of congestive heart failure or cardiac sarcoma. This is also a general symptom noticed in all types of cancers.
• Rapid unexplained weight loss: The buildup caused by the blood that is sent back from the heart may lead to swelling of the liver or intestines. This could trigger nausea and uneasiness, causing the person to lose their appetite. When this happens, it could be indicative of any type of cancer, including heart cancer.
• Irregular heart rhythms: Heart arrhythmia is the irregularity of the heartbeats. This irregularity could cause the heart to beat too fast or too slow, which may lead to dizziness, dropped blood pressure, sweating or even chest pain between the breasts and pain in the left chest under the breast in extreme cases.
• Blood clots in the lungs, brain, arm or leg: When the heart begins to weaken or slow, blood can slow down or build up in the heart and the lungs and other organs as well. This build-up eventually causes clots to form, called thrombosis. These clots may cause pain in the left arm or breast pain if induced by cardiac cancer. 
• Swollen legs or ankles: In the case of congestive heart failure, the heart could be too weak to pump blood. When the lower chambers of the heart lose effectiveness, it leads to a build-up of blood in the legs, knees and feet. It may even lead to swelling of the abdomen.

When to See a Doctor for Heart Cancer

As heart cancer is rare, it is hard to detect its development through the various heart cancer stages as well. However, immediate signals to visit the doctor are:

• Shooting pain in the left arm and the breast
• Pain in the left chest, below the breasts
• Swelling of the abdomen, ankles or legs
• Frequent breathlessness
• Constant back pain
• Dizziness or fainting

To Summarize

• Heart cancer is a rare phenomenon, yet it is typically induced by cancer from other organs of the body.
• The most common heart tumour symptoms or signs of heart cancer are breathlessness, pain or discomfort in the chest, weakness, coughing up blood and swelling in the limbs.
• No matter how typical the symptom feels, it is important to stay in tune with your body and seek medical help instead of self-diagnosing⁴.

Causes of Heart Cancer in Indian Adults

One of the most important steps in heart cancer treatment is to understand the causes of heart cancer. Understanding the risk factors can help with early intervention and even prevention.

While the direct heart cancer causes are unknown, there are several risk factors to watch out for:

• Age: Although it is not narrowed down through thorough research, the prevalence of the most common tumour of the heart is found among adults rather than children.
• Gender: More common in men than in women.
• Genetic factors: Specific mutations in the DNA could lead to cancer.
• Hereditary factors: Cancer is a hereditary condition, as most common tumours of the heart. Those whose families have a history of cancer are more likely to develop heart cancer than others.
• Cancers in other parts of the body: Cancers in other parts of the body, like blood, lungs or breasts, may spread and affect the heart.

To Summarize

• Most cancers are genetic and inherited diseases. They are passed down through generations in the family.
• Another contributing cause of cancer is old age. It is observed that older adults are more prone to developing cancer than children.
• A weakened immune system due to an unhealthy lifestyle or lack of nutrition can trigger the cancerous cells to multiply faster without being stopped by the body at the right rate.

Diagnosis of Heart Cancer in India

Diagnosis of the different heart cancer stages is difficult, as the condition is so rare. However, most of the heart cancer causes and symptoms resemble those of other heart diseases, hence, the heart tumour treatment follows similar procedures:

1. Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Echocardiography

ECG and Echocardiography are routine tests administered to identify problems with the functions of the heart. The test monitors the heart muscles, heartbeats, rhythms and valves to detect abnormalities.

ECG or EKG tests are also routine before commencing any cancer treatments, like cardiotoxic chemotherapy or heart tumour surgery.

Here are a few things they test for:

• Damage to the heart muscles and tissues
• Any noticeable changes to the thickness of heart valves, walls and muscles
• Chemical imbalances (or electrolyte changes) in the body
• Irregular heart rhythms

Detecting all of these symptoms through the test and undergoing the right treatment increases the heart cancer survival rate.

2. CT Scan

Computerised Tomography (CT) is also called a calcium-score screening heart scan. It is a test that identifies the accumulation of calcium deposits in the heart, which could indicate heart disease. This is usually done as a check-up before starting heart tumour surgery or cardiotoxic chemotherapy treatment. Early detection of any calcium deposits increases the heart cancer survival rate.

To prepare for the CT scan, you are recommended to:

• Avoid coffee or any caffeinated drinks 3 – 4 hours before the scan
• Avoid smoking 
• Be regular on your medications before the scan, so the doctor will be able to identify their effects
• Inform your doctor if you’re pregnant or are currently undergoing radiation therapy.

The entire test is safe and lasts only a few minutes. Since CT scans are X-rays, they are not recommended for those who are pregnant.

3. MRI

Magnetic Resonance Imagining for the heart is a powerful tool that uses radio signals to chalk out the anatomy of the heart. This can give the doctors a clear vision of the structures, functions and overall organ health.

Here is how you can prepare for the MRI scan:

• There are no specifications on what you should eat or avoid before the scan. However, you may clarify with your doctor beforehand.
• Consult the doctor or read up on any allergic reactions you may have to the MRI scan.
• Inform the doctor about your pregnancy, metal implants in your body or any recent surgeries.
• Remove all metal objects before the scan, such as jewellery, watches, piercings, glasses, dental prosthesis made of metal, etc.

To Summarize

• There is a very high heart cancer survival rate and essential medical procedures in place to help diagnose and treat heart cancer.
• The standard diagnostic tests that are administered are MRI scans, CT scans, and 2-D Echo, ECG/EKG.
• Pregnant women or those with a history of recent surgery are not recommended to take these tests. A doctor’s opinion is advisable.

Heart Cancer Treatment Options in India

Outlook and Prognosis for Heart Cancer Patients

When it comes to cancer, chemotherapy and heart tumour surgery are the two most prescribed methods of heart cancer treatment. The treatment plan is decided by the doctor based on the parameters like:

• Age of the patient
• The medical condition of the patient
• Type of cancer
• Size and extent of cancer
• Other factors

There is no universally effective treatment for heart cancer, as it is a rare condition with limited research. However, surgical removal is often the first choice, especially if the tumour is localised and not located on the left side of the heart, which is typically associated with pain in the left chest, under the breast.

Here is how heart tumour surgery is carried out:

1. Benign Tumours

Benign tumours are harmless growths that may not be cancerous. They do not pose the threat of spreading to other organs. The type of heart tumours that are not symptomatic can just be monitored through ECG or echocardiograms every year. Surgery may not be necessary.

Some tumours that are spread out or split into multiple tumours can be removed through surgery. Tumours in potentially dangerous positions such as those inside the walls of the heart, although non-threatening, can be fully removed wherever possible. 

2. Malignant Tumours

Malignant tumours are harmful. They multiply and spread rapidly to other organs as well. As the heart cancer symptoms are not easy to detect, many of the malignant tumours may not be fully removed surgically, as there is a possibility that it could aggravate the spread.

In these cases, other methods such as radiation therapy or cardiotoxic chemotherapy are suggested. Palliative centres are also an option for those looking for nursing and medical care to increase their heart cancer survival rate.

3. Secondary Heart Cancer

Malignant cancer has the potential to spread to other organs, causing secondary cancer. This phenomenon is called metastatic cancer. When this occurs, it may be at a stage where it cannot be removed surgically. In this case, radiotherapy or chemotherapy is suggested along with intensive palliative care.

In the case of the development of pericardial effusion, where there is a build-up of fluid around the heart (such as the lungs), pericardiocentesis will be carried out. This drains the fluid build-up, taking the pressure off the heart and breathing.

To Summarize

• The type of treatment given can vary depending on the tumour’s spread and potential for harm. Surgery is one of the most medically prescribed treatments for heart cancer.
• For benign tumours, echocardiograms can be done to monitor the growth but surgery is also an option if it’s safe to administer.
• For malignant or metastatic tumours, surgery may be ineffective or counterproductive. In this case, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, target therapy as well as palliative care is recommended⁵.

Coping Strategies for a Loved One Going Through Heart Cancer

Cancer feels morbid, especially watching your loved ones battle it. However, through medication, home care and support, their journey with cancer can become a lot easier and manageable to cope with.

Heart cancer is a rare condition, however, once diagnosed, they might be faced with uncertainty and fear. It is important to know how to offer help for cancer patients and how to take care of cancer patients at home through this time.

1. Understanding Their Physical Symptoms

Cancer can be a physically and emotionally taxing condition. With cardiac cancer, the patient may be going through the following physical experiences frequently:

• Fatigue, restlessness and nausea
• Left-arm and breast pain
• Shortness of breath
• Swollen legs and ankles
• Weakness

Through all these symptoms, the patient may panic and fear the worst. They might even confuse breast pain with chest pain and mistake general tiredness with cancer-related fatigue. This is a very natural reaction from those diagnosed with cancer.

The most important way you can support them through the physical side effects is to have the necessary medications stocked up and take them to regular medical check-ups to monitor the progression of the tumour.

2. Supporting Their Emotional Health

Mentally, they might be undergoing the following emotions while dealing with cancer and the various treatments:

• Helplessness
• Fear of death
• Uncertainty
• Loneliness
• Anxiety about the progression of their condition
• Worry about family and health
• Depression, especially when the condition is malignant and prolonged.

In terms of dealing with these emotions, the most effective techniques to help them are:

• Encouraging them to seek therapy
• Encouraging yoga for the heart 
• Joining a support group as a family
• Hosting frequent family or social time
• Communicating with them regularly, by asking questions like:
  • How are you feeling today?
  • Is there anything you might need help with?
  • How have you been coping recently?
  • What are the things that are going right?
  • What do you wish you could do actively to feel healthier?

3. Palliative Care and End-of-Life Support

When cancer has reached some of the later stages and spread to other organs, it could be terminal. In this case, the patient need not lose all hope or suffer without medical attention. Palliative care or hospice is a facility specifically constructed to help terminally ill patients. The kind of care they may provide are:

• Medical aid
• Financial support
• Regular fitness and health checkups
• Social support
• Emotional resources and first-aid
• Spiritual support

Palliative care workers are trained to deal with the emotional turbulence of those undergoing terminal cancer. They aim to provide pain relief, symptom management and psychological support. They are empathetic, active listeners with medical training to ensure your loved ones are comfortable and well attended to.

Heart cancer has great survival rates, along with an infrastructure of oncologists and cardiologists around the world to help treat it. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, etc., are scientifically designed to help ease you through the condition.

In spite of that, cancer is a daunting condition, yet with the right and timely identification and treatment, you can win over your condition and bring it under control.

To Summarize:

• Cancer can be hard to come to terms with. However, once diagnosed, leading an emotionally and physically healthy lifestyle is not impossible.
• The most effective way to physically tend to your loved ones is through rigorous check-ups, treatments and medications.
• You can even be in constant touch with their doctor and evaluate the progress of the cardiac tumour over time.
• Emotionally, it is important to show support and dependability for your loved one. Support groups and therapy can go a long way in making them feel secure and confident.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

References

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