The entirely new fascicle on tumors of the cardiovascular system is a comprehensive, 231-page text covering over 50 distinct tumors and tumorlike lesions of the heart and great vessels. Opening the 16-chapter volume are discussions of embryology, overview and incidence of tumors of the heart, and general pathologic and clinical approaches to cardiac tumors. Entities are discussed by putative cell of origin, with emphasis on histogenesis, clinical presentation, radiographic features, gross and microscopic features, and differential diagnosis. Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural findings, where helpful in diagnosis, are discussed and illustrated. A final chapter on metastatic tumors covers the differential diagnosis of metastatic pericardial disease and metastatic tumors to myocardium. There is special emphasis on cardiac myxoma and cardiac sarcomas, which represent the most common primary tumors of the heart, as well as an extensive chapter on mesotheliomas of the pericardium. Newly described lesions, such as cardiac MICE and post-transplant lymphoproliferative diseases, are discussed and illustrated. The text is lavishly illustrated, with over 270 illustrations of gross and microscopic images. The text relies on the vast repository of cardiac tumors at the AFIP as well as on extensive literature citations, emphasizing the most recent references in the 1990's through 1995. There are 18 tables emphasizing incidence, classification, clinical findings, syndromes associated with cardiac tumors, and prognostic data of cardiac sarcomas.