A Case of Primary Cardiac Lymphoma: Analysis of the Role of Echocardiography in Early Diagnosis

Abstract

Primary Cardiac Lymphoma (PCL) is defined as a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma involving only the heart and/or pericardium. Diagnosis of this rare disease is particularly difficult due to its nonspecific clinical manifestations. In this review the role of echocardiography in the early diagnosis of PCL is assessed, moreover we report an improvement in the outcome of PCL related to increased availability and utilization of echocardiography.

Sequential therapy of primary cardiac lymphoma with cardiectomy, total artificial heart support, and cardiac transplantation

“…There have been only 3 cases of T-cell origin described in the literature. 3 Park et al described a 10-year-old boy with an anaplastic cardiac T-cell lymphoma with freedom of disease at 12-month follow-up after receiving surgical tumor resection and chemotherapy. 4 The other 2 adult male patients with PCL of T-cell origin died within 1 month after diagnosis because of malignant arrhythmias.…”

“…11 Faganello et al reported a complete remission rate of 71% in patients receiving early and effective treatment, whereas Ikeda et al obtained complete remission in only 15 of 40 patients. 3,7 A role for heart transplantation in patients with malignant cardiac tumors has never been established as results were uniformly unfavorable. Hence, our patient's success may lead to new treatment strategies to overcome this dreadful disease.…”

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

“…TTE has a sensitivity of 55–60% for primary cardiac tumors and TEE has a sensitivity of 97–100%. The sensitivity of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is superior to that of CT (90–92 vs. 71–73%) (4,7). In 92% of PCL cases reported, the right heart chambers were involved, predominantly the RA.…”

Complete Resolution of Tumor Burden of Primary Cardiac Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

“…Reported complete remission rates have ranged from 38% to 71%, illustrating the limited knowledge of this disease [6, 11]. Risk factors for poor prognosis include immunocompromised state, extracardiac disease, left ventricular involvement, and the absence of arrhythmia.…”