Autopsy of 54 cases of surgically excised cardiac myxomas. Investigation of their impact on immune response

INTRODUCTION: The impact of cardiac myxomas on the immune response is still indefinite, although laboratory tests and histological findings suggest that there is a correlation between myxomas and inflammatory reaction. OBJECTIVES: Our study speculates that cardiac myxomas are associated with inflammatory response and investigates potential elements of inflammation in the histopathological examination and biomarkers from laboratory tests. METHODS: It is a retrospective study and data were collected from a single center between May 2010 to May 2018. Autopsies and laboratory tests of 54 cases were analyzed. RESULTS: In 20,4% of the autopsies, inflammatory elements were identified. The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) preoperatively is elevated in patients suffering from cardiac myxoma while its value is correlated to the tumor size. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac myxoma is an entity that affects the immune response of patients. The biomarker NLR could be utilized as a prognostic factor regarding enlarged cardiac myxomas. Future studies still need to be conducted in order to confirm the usefulness of this biomarker on cardiac myxomas.