Between 1961 and 1983, 20 patients underwent operation at the Texas Heart Institute for primary tumors other than classical benign myxoma. Total follow-up was 70.7 patient years (mean 3.5 years). There were 10 adults and 10 children under 12 years of age. There were two operative deaths and four late deaths. All of the pediatric patients had benign lesions (five fibromas, five rhabdomyomas), and only one patient in this group died (during the operation). All operative survivors are alive between 0.9 and 18 years postoperatively, although in three cases excision was incomplete. Of the 10 adult patients, five had benign lesions; all were completely excised. In the other five adult patients, unresectable malignant tumors were found, and all four operative survivors died of metastatic disease within 8 months. Benign cardiac tumors in childhood have an excellent prognosis when completely excised and appear to have a good short-term prognosis even when excision is incomplete. Although prognosis for benign tumors in adults is good, malignant tumors are associated with very poor survival.