Primary lymphoma of the heart: case report and literature review.

Primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL) is a rare and usually fatal neoplasma. A case of PCL in a 78-year-old man who complained of exertional dyspnea and peripheral edema is presented. Echocardiography revealed a mass in the right atrium and a diagnosis of low-grade B-cell lymphoma was obtained with the surgically resected tumor. The lesion appeared to have originated in the right atrium and involved the right ventricle. The patient died of bronchopneumonia 8 months after the initial consultation. The present case and 39 patients with PCL reported between 1995 and 2002 were reviewed. Forty patients showed various and non-specific symptoms such as dyspnea, edema, arrhythmia and pericardial effusion. Primary cardiac lymphoma occurred slightly more often in male patients (M : F = 23:17) and in the elderly in general (mean age, 67 years), with lesions found in the following locations, listed in order of frequency: right atrium, pericardium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle, and other sites. Antemortem diagnosis was obtained in 37 of the 40 patients. Thirty-seven cases were of B-cell lineage and two cases were of T-cell lineage. Complete remission was obtained in only 15 of the 40 patients. Although PCL antemortem diagnoses have been made in the majority of recent cases, the prognosis still remains poor.