Korean J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg.  2004 Apr;37(4):376-381.

Primary Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Right Ventricle with Right Atrial Invasion: Report of 1 case

• Park KS
• Ahn WS
• Lee S
• Kwon OC
• Ko MS
• Jheon SH

Abstract

Primary cardiac lymphoma is an extranodal malignant lymphoma of any cell type involving only heart and pericardium without dissemination. Patients usually present symptoms of heart failure, arrhythmias, pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade. Diagnosis of primary cardiac lymphoma can be performed by echocardiogram, CT and MRI and cytologic examination of pericardial effusion or transvenously biopsied cardiac tissue. Prognosis of primary cardiac lymphoma is poor. Because of poor prognosis, early diagnosis and complete surgical excision is essential and postoperative systemic chemotherapy or radiotherapy is useful. In this case extensive tumor infiltration on the right ventricle and atrioventricular groove preclude surgical excision. Tissue biopsy revealed primary cardiac lymphoma. After postoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the size of intracardiac mass is decreased in follow up chest CT scan and echocardiogram and symptoms of patient are relieved. Therefore, we report a case of primary cardiac lymphoma with review of literatures.

Keyword

Heart neoplasms; Lymphoma; Biopsy

MeSH Terms

Arrhythmias, Cardiac
Biopsy
Cardiac Tamponade
Diagnosis
Drug Therapy
Early Diagnosis
Follow-Up Studies
Heart
Heart Failure
Heart Neoplasms
Heart Ventricles*
Humans
Lymphoma
Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin*
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Pericardial Effusion
Pericardium
Prognosis
Radiotherapy
Tomography, X-Ray Computed