Primary cardiac lymphoma

An elderly man presented with pericardial tamponade: a diagnosis of primary cardiac lymphoma was made by a cytological examination of pericardial fluid. An excellent response to therapy has been observed.     

Primary cardiac lymphoma

Primary cardiac lymphoma is a rare entity. We report on the clinicopathological features of 2 patients with primary cardiac lymphomas: one involving the right atrium resulting in intractable right heart failure, and the other involving the pericardium with massive pericardial effusion. In the first patient, sternotomy and surgical biopsy of the tumor were performed to arrive at the diagnosis. In the second patient, CT thorax and transesophageal echocardiography helped to diagnose the pericardial tumor, and cytological examination of the pericardial fluid established the pathological diagnosis of lymphoma. Combination chemotherapy (COPP) was started in both patients. The first patient died on the first day of chemotherapy due to intractable heart failure, while the second attained a partial response to chemotherapy but died of progressive disease 8 weeks later. This is followed by a literature review of 21 patients with primary cardiac lymphoma. In conclusion, the prognosis of primary cardiac tumor remains poor. Am. J. Hematol. 54:79–83, 1997 © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Primary cardiac T-cell lymphoma

Primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL), defined as a lymphoma clinically mimicking cardiac disease, with the bulk of the tumor located intrapericardially, is extremely rare in immunocompetent patients. Clinical manifestations vary depending on sites of involvement in the heart and include chest pain, arrhythmias, pericardial effusion, and heart failure. Diagnosis is often difficult and may require invasive procedures; in some cases, diagnosis is not made until autopsy. Histologically, nearly all cases of PCL reported thus far have been of B-cell origin. In this report, we describe a case of PCL of T-cell origin in an adult immunocompetent patient, the second reported in the literature to the best of our knowledge, and provide a brief overview of the features of previously published PCL cases.     

Primary cardiac lymphoma diagnosed by percutaneous intracardiac biopsy with combined fluoroscopic and transesophageal echocardiographic imaging.

Primary cardiac tumors have very low prevalence with cardiac lymphoma, being one of the rarest forms. Several recent reports have shown transesophageal echocardiography to be an accurate technique for characterizing and localizing these neoplasms, with results comparable to CT and MRI scans. Transvenous intracardiac tumor biopsy has been employed as a minimally invasive technique to obtain tissue samples. The addition of transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) guidance to this process has increased the accuracy of obtaining diagnostic specimens while improving patient safety. We review published cases of this relatively new technique using combined fluoroscopic and TEE guidance and present a case of primary cardiac lymphoma diagnosed by this method. The patient achieved complete tumor remission after treatment with standard chemotherapy and remains fully functional 32 months after initial diagnosis.     

Primary cardiac lymphoma.

We present a case of primary cardiac lymphoma, which is a rare condition compared with secondary metastatic involvement and is associated with poor prognosis. This case demonstrates the use of transthoracic echocardiography for the assessment of tumour regression in response to chemotherapy.     

Primary cardiac lymphoma: a case report

A 83-year-old woman was admitted because of pretibial edema. Echocardiography demonstrated a huge tumor in the right atrium and ventricle. Transvenous biopsy failed to obtain sufficient specimens for the histological diagnosis. The tumor progressed rapidly and heart failure was intractable. The diagnosis was primary cardiac lymphoma on the basis of elevated soluble interleukin-2 receptor and solitary accumulation of gallium-67 in the heart. Chemotherapy was immediately started. After two courses of chemotherapy, the intracardiac tumor disappeared. However, one month later, the tumor relapsed in the anterior mediastinum. Needle biopsy disclosed diffuse B-cell non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma. Additional irradiation reduced the tumor. Early diagnosis and immediate chemotherapy are important for the treatment of primary cardiac lymphoma.     

Primary cardiac non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography

Primary cardiac lymphomas are extremely rare and can be diagnosed by echocardiography. We present the case of a 79-year-old man with an intracardiac mass, shown to be an aggressive large B-cell lymphoma by mediastinal aspiration, who had rapid regression of the tumor following one cycle of chemotherapy.     

Primary pancreatic lymphoma diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy

<正>To the Editor:Primary pancreatic lymphoma (PPL) is extremely rare,accounting for 1% of extra-nodal lymphomas and less than 0.5%of pancreatic masses [1].Both cytological and histological analyses are required to confirm the diagnosis of PPL.The main treatments include chemotherapy and radiotherapy [2].Pancreatic resection alone does not improve the survival rate [3].Hence,it is necessary to differentiate PPL from other malignant tumors before surgery.To date,there is no consensus on the ...     

Primary pancreatic lymphoma diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy

Although primary pancreatic lymphoma (PPL) is a rare malignant tumor, the correct diagnosis is essential since their therapeutic management differs from other pancreatic tumors. The fine needle aspiration cytology guided by endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS-FNA) is currently the preferred technique for the diagnosis of neoplasms of the pancreas, being of particular interest in those pancreatic lesions with atypical characteristics or presentation. However, the usefulness of EUS-FNA in the PPL has been poorly studied because of the rarity of this entity. We report a case of a patient with HIV infection and PPL diagnosed by EUS-FNA.     

Primary pulmonary lymphoma diagnosed by transbronchial biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage findings

A 45 year-old male was admitted to Tokyo University Hospital because of a submandibular tumor. Biopsy specimen of the tumor showed medium-sized non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of follicular type and immunoperoxidase staining of frozen sections demonstrated an overwhelming predominance of B lymphocytes with IgM, lambda chain. In the meanwhile, chest X-ray taken on admission showed an ill-defined consolidation with a tumor-like appearance in the right middle lung field. Transbronchial biopsy of this lesion revealed massive infiltrations of small and medium sized lymphocytes, having the same markers as those of submandibular tumor (IgM, lambda chain) and an analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage showed a significant increase of CD19-positive B lymphocytes. Reviewing of check-up X-ray films showed the lung lesion to have preceded the submandibular tumor and to have increased its size in several years. On the basis of the similarity of histological and immunohistochemical findings between pulmonary and submandibular tumor, and considering the time course of the appearance of these tumors, we concluded that these tumors were of the same histological nature and had originated in the lung and metastasized to submandibular gland. This is a relatively rare case of pulmonary lymphoma metastasizing to the submandibular gland, in which transbronchial biopsy specimen and analysis of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage were helpful in establishing the diagnosis.     

Experience with transjugular liver biopsy

The results of 193 transjugular liver biopsies performed with a modified needle are described. An adequate specimen was obtained in 97%, and complications were rare, although puncture of the liver capsule does occur and caused bleeding in two patients. Fever after the procedure was reduced by ultrasonic cleaning of the needle. Although not easy, this technique is safe and preferable in the management of selected patients, but in most patients percutaneous biopsy is to be preferred.