Primary cardiac lymphoma with unusual presentation: A report of two cases

Mol Clin Oncol. 2017 Mar;6(3):311-314. doi: 10.3892/mco.2017.1131. Epub 2017 Jan 16.

Abstract

Primary cardiac tumors are rare, with an incidence of 0.056% according to autopsy reports. The most common type is myxoma, while other types, including sarcoma, lipoma, papillary fibroelastoma, rhabdomyoma, fibroma, hemangioma, teratoma, lymphoma and mesothelioma also occur. Primary cardiac tumors usually cause embolization, pericardial effusion and arrhythmia, leading to heart failure. Only 10% of primary cardiac tumors are malignant, approximately 95% of which are sarcomas, while the remaining 5% are cardiac lymphomas and mesotheliomas. The present study reported a case of primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL) with bilateral renal involvement and a case of PCL with bilateral adrenal gland involvement. The prognosis of PCL is poor due to the low rate of early detection and treatment. The definitive diagnosis is dependent on pathology, and timely treatment with chemotherapy can be effective. The two cases developed life-threatening arrhythmia and responded to the initial chemotherapy. In the first case, complete remission was achieved after finalization of therapy. However, the second case refused further chemotherapy and succumbed to his condition after two months.

Keywords: heart neoplasm; non-Hodgkin lymphoma; primary cardiac lymphoma.