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DOI: 10.48087/BJMS.2026.130406
Authors: Hanifa BENALIKHOUDJA1, Sofiane GHEMRI2,3, Nawel DJOUDI1
Affiliations: 1- Service de Chirurgie Cardiaque, EHS Dr Maouche Mohand Amokrane, Alger – Algérie. 2- Université des Sciences de la Santé « Moudjahid Dr Youcef El Khatib », Faculté de Médecine d’Alger – Algérie. 3- Service de Cardiologie, EHS Dr Maouche Mohand Amokrane, Alger – Algérie.
Abstract
Objectives: Primary cardiac sarcomas are extremely rare tumors associated with a dismal prognosis. This study aims to report our department’s experience in the surgical management of these tumors and to analyze their short-term outcomes. Methods: We conducted a ten-year retrospective study at the Cardiac Surgery Department of EHS Dr. Maouche. Seven patients with primary cardiac sarcoma were included. All patients underwent preoperative evaluation by echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior to surgical resection under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Results: The series comprised various histological subtypes: rhabdomyosarcoma (n=2), angiosarcoma (n=1), liposarcoma (n=1), synovial sarcoma (n=1), fibrosarcoma (n=1), and one rare case of mitral valve sarcoma in a pediatric patient. Tumors were predominantly located in the right and left cardiac chambers with extensive local involvement. Despite macroscopically complete resection in most cases, the postoperative course was marked by a 100% mortality rate within two months, attributable primarily to fulminant local recurrence or metastatic progression. Conclusion: Despite advances in imaging and surgical techniques, primary cardiac sarcomas remain formidable malignancies. Surgical intervention is largely palliative, and the short-term prognosis remains catastrophic, underscoring the urgent need for early multidisciplinary management.
Keywords: Primary cardiac sarcoma, cardiac surgery, histology, prognosis, Algeria.