Cardiac fibroma: long-term survival after excision.

Four patients have had operation at the Mayo Clinic for a cardiac fibroma and all survived. Three patients have an excellent clinical result and are free of tumor 1 year, 13 years, and 17 years postoperatively. The fourth shows radiographic evidence of residual tumor near the mitral anulus, but is clinically well 15 years postoperatively. A fifth unoperated patient died suddenly 8 years after presumptive diagnosis of fibroma at the age of 83 years. This experience suggests that patients who have undergone successful excision of cardiac fibroma have an excellent probability of remaining free of disease.