Environmental Pollution as a Cause of Papillary Fibroelastoma: Hints for a New Etiological Hypothesis?

Authors

  • Marisa De Feo
  • Giovanni Dialetto
  • Veronica D'Oria
  • Paolo Pepino
  • Salvatore Giordano
  • Maurizio Cotrufo
  • Luca Salvatore De Santo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1532/HSF98.2011-1020

Abstract

Background: Environmental pollution has adverse human health effects, mostly on the respiratory tract but also on the cardiovascular system. Papillary fibroelastomas are exceedingly rare primary cardiac tumors; their pathologic origin remains still elusive.

Case Report: This is a brief report on 3 patients referred for surgical treatment of papillary fibroelastomas in the last 6 months. All patients were born, lived, and worked in a narrow region in Campania that is under active monitoring because of high rates of environmental pollution.

Conclusions: Known mechanisms of cardiovascular damage generated by environmental pollution are cross linked with described papillary fibroelastomas' etiological cascade. Evidence is suggested for a common origin. These results provide intriguing but inconclusive insights into pathophysiological pathways that may link exposure to environmental pollution and development of papillary fibroelastomas.

References

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Published

2011-08-22

How to Cite

De Feo, M., Dialetto, G., D’Oria, V., Pepino, P., Giordano, S., Cotrufo, M., & De Santo, L. S. (2011). Environmental Pollution as a Cause of Papillary Fibroelastoma: Hints for a New Etiological Hypothesis?. The Heart Surgery Forum, 14(4), E269-E270. https://doi.org/10.1532/HSF98.2011-1020

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