Multiple intracardiac tumors secondary to non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

ABSTRACT

Primary tumors of the heart are rare and are usually benign. Disseminated malignancies and lymphomas rarely involve the heart. Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) are one of the common hematological malignancies that can affect the heart usually in the form of pericardial effusion. Involvement as intracardiac masses in NHL is extremely rare and usually described in autopsy series. We report a case of NHL and massive intracardiac involvement diagnosed on echocardiographic assessment. Primary cardiac NHL is extremely rare and accounts for 1-2 % of primary cardiac tumors involving the right versus left atrium at a ratio of about 81 (Ceresoli et al., Cancer 801497-1506, 1997; Delmas-Marsalet et al., Nouv Rev Fr Hematol 37223-230, 1995). The intracardiac secondaries in NHL are extremely rare. They are usually described in autopsy series. We report the detection of secondaries in the cardiac chambers, on interatrial septum and in atrioventricular groove, diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography.