Diagnosi e terapia dei tumori cardiaci nel cane e nel gatto

Abstract

Primary and secondary cardiac tumors are quite uncommon in dogs and cats. The most frequent types of tumors are hemangiosarcoma, heart base tumors (chemodectoma and paraganglioma) and lymphoma. Patients with a cardiac tumor show clinical signs related to hemodynamic changes due to the space-occupying mass effect and often manifest pericardial effusion. Sometimes they also have arrhythmias or symptoms of congestive heart failure and, in the worst case scenario, deadly acute cardiac tamponade. The most effective diagnostic methods consist of echocardiography, CT and magnetic resonance. When the mass is surgically accessible, the execution of cytological and histological exams also allows to establish the tumor type. However, heart tumors are often an incidental finding or a post-mortem diagnosis. Therapy consists of managing clinical signs by administering antiarrhythmic drugs and performing repeated pericardiocentesis to control the relapsing pericardial effusion. Additional treatment options include surgery (pericardiectomy and surgical excision of the mass), chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. In general, these therapies get better results when combined with each other, while for lymphoma, chemotherapy is very effective. Obtain a complete remission of cardiac tumor is rare, but early and targeted therapy can often improve prognosis and increase the patient’s survival time.