Objective To discuss the clinical features, diagnosis and surgical treatment of the primary left ventricular tumors. Methods and results The clinical data of 5 patients with primary left ventricular tumors, who were surgically treated in Changhai Hospital from Jan., 1999 to May,2012, were retrospectively analyzed. The 5 patients accounted for 3.55% (5/141) of patients who were surgically treated for cardiac tumors in the same period. All the 5 cases were diagnosed with echocardiography before treatment. Median sternotomy was performed in 3 cases and left anterolateral thoracotomy in 2 cases. Complete resection of tumor was performed in 3 cases and subtotal resection in 1 case; only biopsy was obtained in the last case. The pathological diagnoses included myxoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, cavernous lymphangioma, papillary elastic fibroma, and intermuscular hemangioma. There was no operative death, and the postoperative course was uneventful. The patients were followed up for 4-80 months (a mean of 30 months) and there was no death. The patient with myxoma had recurrence 38 months after surgery, and there was no recurrence after reoperation. The case with rhabdomyosarcoma survived well; other patients showed no recurrence or metastasis. Conclusion Primary left ventricular tumors are genearally benign. Echocardiography is the most important diagnosis method. The prognosis of malignant left ventricular tumor is poor. The surgical results of left ventricular benign tumors are satisfactory.