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

Endobronchial ultrasound guided intracardiac needle aspiration (EBUS-ICNA)

Most cardiac tumours are secondary to metastasis from extracardiac tumours. Obtaining biopsy from intracardiac lesions, especially from the left heart, is challenging, and the conventionally used methods are invasive and involve significant risks such as arrhythmias, tamponade, valvular damage and tumour embolisation. Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is a minimally invasive procedure used to biopsy lymph nodes or mass lesions adjacent to the airways. Its safety and usefulness have been well established. Use of EBUS has expanded to several novel indications over the last few years. Here we report a case of a young woman with suspected metastatic disease to the heart, in whom traditional methods of biopsy had failed to give a diagnosis. EBUS-guided transbronchial intracardiac needle aspiration was safely performed from the left atrial mass lesion to obtain tissue for histopathological diagnosis. A diagnosis of metastatic adenocarcinoma with tumour embolisation to the heart was established.

Percutaneous intravenous catheter forceps biopsy in right atrial mass: two case reports and literature review

Background

Primary malignant tumors of the heart are rare. Although preoperative histological diagnosis is difficult, it has paramount value in therapeutic strategy development and prognostic estimation. Herein, we reported 2 cases of intracardiac tumors.

Cases presentation

Both patients presented to the hospital with heart-related symptoms. Echocardiography showed massive masses in the atrium and positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET/CT) revealed hypermetabolism and invasiveness. One patient cannot take surgery due to extensive metastasis and poor condition. The other patient was primarily diagnosed with lymphoma, and surgery was not recommended. They successfully underwent intravenous atrial biopsy, and histological samples confirmed intimal sarcoma and diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Based on immunohistochemical and molecular assessments, targeted chemotherapy was administered, resulting in clinical and imaging remission at discharge.

Conclusions

Percutaneous intravenous catheter biopsy as a safe invasive test provides an accurate pathological diagnosis after imaging evaluation, and offers a therapeutic direction. Nonmalignant masses and some chemo-radiosensitive malignant tumors in the atrium could have good prognosis after targeted therapy.

Clinical features of cardiac lymphoma: an analysis of 37 cases

OBJECTIVE

To summarize the clinical and pathological features of patients with cardiac lymphoma.

METHODS

The general conditions, clinical features, pathological types, and prognostic indices of 37 patients with cardiac lymphoma treated in our hospital were analyzed.

RESULTS

Among the 37 patients, only one had primary cardiac lymphoma, and the other 36 patients had secondary cardiac lymphoma. The cardiac manifestations were mainly chest tightness, shortness of breath, increased heart rates, and electrocardiographic abnormality caused by pericardial effusion, but myocardial enzyme levels were normal in all patients. Only three patients displayed solid heart-occupying manifestations. These lesions were mainly located in the right atrium, and the masses were all larger than 5 cm. The pathological type was diffuse large B cell lymphoma that did not arise from the germinal center in all three patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Cardiac lymphoma was mostly secondary, and pericardial effusion was the primary objective sign. Moreover, cardiac lymphoma was characterized by a high international prognostic index, late stage, and high rates of T and NK cell lymphoma. Most cases were accompanied by serous cavity effusion, extranodal involvement of important organs, elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels, hypoalbuminemia, and normal myocardial enzyme levels.

The challenge in diagnosing cardiac tumors to avoid unnecessary cardiac surgery

Cardiac magnetic resonance in cardiac mass: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) should be considered in the evaluation of patients with cardiac mass. Especially, when the diagnosis is not certain, CMR could provide paramount information that could be helpful for the decision on cardiac surgery.

Cardiac Tumors

Cardiac tumors (CTs) are extremely rare, with an incidence of approximately 0.02% in autopsy series. Primary tumors of the heart are far less common than metastatic tumors. CTs usually present with any possible clinical combination of heart failure, arrhythmias, or embolism. Echocardiography remains the first diagnostic approach when suspecting a CT which, on the other side, frequently appears unexpectedly during an echocardiographic examination. Yet, cardiac tomography and especially magnetic resonance imaging may offer several adjunctive opportunities in the diagnosis of CTs. Early and exact diagnosis is crucial for the following therapy and outcome of CTs.

Cardiac biopsy with intracardiac echocardiographic guidance for successful diagnosis of cardiac lymphoma

The diagnosis and appropriate treatment of cardiac lymphoma are often delayed by the difficulty in obtaining heart tissue biopsies. Intracardiac echocardiography-guided biopsy can improve the prognosis of cardiac lymphoma by decreasing postbiopsy complications and increasing biopsy quality, allowing collection of sufficient material for multilateral analysis.

Transjugular biopsy case report of inferior vena cava hepatocellular carcinoma with intracardiac extension

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Transjugular biopsy of IVC or right sided cardiac masses can be safely performed without sedation or anaesthesia.

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Transjugular biopsy of right atrial lesions may serve as a minimally invasive technique for definitive tissue diagnosis.

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Multidisciplinary management is paramount for patients with advanced cirrhosis to prevent morbidity and mortality.

Background

Diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be established with near certainty by correlating radiological imaging with clinical presentation. However, in the absence of diagnostic certainty, biopsy of liver tissue is mandatory for optimal management. We present our management of a patient with advanced liver disease who presented with an IVC mass extending into the right atrium, with co-existing liver lesions not meeting criteria for an imaging diagnosis of HCC.

Case presentation

A 62-year-old male with Child-Pugh C liver cirrhosis presented with decompensated liver failure. Multiple imaging modalities demonstrated an inferior vena cava (IVC) mass extending into the right atrium with co-existing liver lesions not meeting radiological criteria for an imaging diagnosis of HCC. There was no contiguous evidence of HCC in the liver, yet there was extensive tumour burden in the IVC representing a separate metastatic lesion without any indication of direct tumour spread. Under fluoroscopic and angiographic guidance, a biopsy catheter was advanced through the right atrium into the IVC. Histology from the biopsy demonstrated fragments of malignant tumour with features consistent with moderately differentiated HCC without thrombus. Given the poor prognosis associated with metastatic HCC with IVC and intracardiac involvement, a multidisciplinary decision was made with the patient’s family for palliation care.

Conclusion

Transjugular biopsy of IVC masses can be performed effectively, in an awake patient, without the need for sedation or anaesthesia. Where multiple imaging modalities fail to confirm a diagnosis for liver or IVC pathology, transluminal biopsy can assist with definitive diagnosis and treatment planning.

Primary cardiac lymphoma: two cases and a review of literature

Background

Primary cardiac lymphoma is one of the rarest tumours of the heart. It belongs to the extra-nodal non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. The most common type of this tumour is diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Usually, right atrium and right ventricle are involved. This tumour is fatal unless diagnosed and treated in time. In this article two female patients who were diagnosed with primary cardiac lymphoma and treated at our clinic are described. The first patient went to remission after the treatment, while the second patient died. The goals of this article are to show the difficulties of diagnosing and treating this disease, the role of cardiac surgery in its treatment and to raise awareness of this disease.

Case reports

In this article two female patients who were diagnosed with primary cardiac lymphoma and treated at our clinic are described. The first patient went to remission after the treatment, while the second patient died.

Conclusions

Primary cardiac lymphoma is a very rare disease. At the moment the most effective treatment is chemotherapy. Palliative surgery may be necessary to correct hemodynamics when venous blood flow to the lungs is disturbed.

Cardiac Involvement in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, an Incidental Large Atrial Mass: A Case Report

INTRODUCTION

Cardiac involvement as an initial presentation of malignant lymphoma has been a rare occurrence.

CASE PRESENTATION

We have reported a 78 year old man with complaint of abdominal pain and vomiting. In patients preoperative evaluation for surgical management of an intra-abdominal mass, a large intracardiac mass has found incidentally during the echocardiography. Pathologic biopsy of right atrial mass that has removed by open heart surgery shown: non Hodgkin-B cell lymphoma. Bone marrow biopsy was taken and was positive for lymphomatous involvement.

CONCLUSIONS

The patient has treated by CHOP chemotherapy regiment successfully and after completion of treatment, there was complete response.

Multimodality imaging of cardiothoracic lymphoma

Lymphoma is the most common hematologic malignancy and represents approximately 5.3% of all cancers. The World Health Organization published a revised classification scheme in 2008 that groups lymphomas by cell type and molecular, cytogenetic, and phenotypic characteristics. Most lymphomas affect the thorax at some stage during the course of the disease. Affected structures within the chest may include the lungs, mediastinum, pleura, and chest wall, and lymphomas may originate from these sites as primary malignancies or secondarily involve these structures after arising from other intrathoracic or extrathoracic sources. Pulmonary lymphomas are classified into one of four types: primary pulmonary lymphoma, secondary pulmonary lymphoma, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related lymphoma, and post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorders. Although pulmonary lymphomas may produce a myriad of diverse findings within the lungs, specific individual features or combinations of features can be used, in combination with secondary manifestations of the disease such as involvement of the mediastinum, pleura, and chest wall, to narrow the differential diagnosis. While findings of thoracic lymphoma may be evident on chest radiography, computed tomography has traditionally been the imaging modality used to evaluate the disease and effectively demonstrates the extent of intrathoracic involvement and the presence and extent of extrathoracic spread. However, additional modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging of the thorax and (18)F-FDG PET/CT have emerged in recent years and are complementary to CT in the evaluation of patients with lymphoma. Thoracic MRI is useful in assessing vascular, cardiac, and chest wall involvement, and PET/CT is more accurate in the overall staging of lymphoma than CT and can be used to evaluate treatment response.

A butterfly-shaped primary cardiac lymphoma that showed bi-atrial involvement

We described here a patient who presented with symptoms of heart failure who was found to have severe bilateral impairment of atrioventricular inflow. Primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL) with extensive involvement of the two atria, pericardium and myocardium is an extremely rare tumor in immunocompetent patients. We report here a case of PCL in an immunocompetent patient with involvement of both atria and the atrial septum. The tumor had a butterfly shape. We could not do surgical excision because of the massive pericardiac invasion. The diagnosis was B-cell lymphoma and this was confirmed by the pericardiac biopsy.

Cardiac involvement with lymphoma: a review of the literature

Current literature suggests that the incidence of cardiac involvement by lymphoma as identified by autopsy varies widely, ranging from 8.7% to 20%. Historically, many cases might have been clinically undetected; however, improved imaging techniques increasingly identify cardiac involvement incidentally. In addition, newer agents resulting in improved cancer therapy outcomes might alter the prevalence and location of metastatic deposits to include more unusual disease sites, including intracardiac locations. We present 2 cases and a review of the literature.

Primary cardiac lymphoma: clinical, histologic, immunophenotypic, and genotypic features of 5 cases of a rare disorder

Primary lymphomas of the heart are rare and frequently are diagnosed at autopsy. Modern imaging technology now permits early diagnosis and treatment. This report describes the clinical, histologic, immunophenotypic, and molecular genetic findings for 5 patients with malignant lymphoma restricted to the cardiac muscle, with or without pericardial involvement. All patients were women, with ages ranging from 40 to 68 years (median 55 y). The right atrium was involved in all cases with the left atrium, right ventricle, and pericardium affected in 1 case each. Clinical presentation included pericardial effusions associated with precordial pain, dyspnea, and bradycardia. Electrocardiographic changes included junctional rhythm, incomplete right bundle branch block and ST and T waves abnormalities, and ST segment elevation and first-degree atrioventricular block with intermittent complete heart block. In all cases, biopsy or resection of the lesion or cytologic examination of the pericardial fluid established a diagnosis. All tumors were of B-cell phenotype and included 4 cases of large cell lymphoma and one unclassifiable small cell lymphoma. In 2 cases, a follicular center cell origin was supported by reactivity of the neoplastic cells for CD10 and bcl-6 and by bcl-2 gene rearrangement by molecular analysis. One patient died shortly after diagnosis due to cerebral infarction. Two patients are alive without disease after chemotherapy with CHOP after 120 and 192 months. One patient underwent chemotherapy with CHOP and rituximab, and shows persistent cardiac involvement by lymphoma but with a decrease in tumor burden at 7 months of follow-up. One patient was lost to follow-up. Clinical outcome is variable; however, early diagnosis in conjunction with effective treatment (surgery and/or chemotherapy) may result in an excellent prognosis. Primary cardiac lymphoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of a right atrial mass.

The diagnosis of primary cardiac lymphoma by right heart catheterization and biopsy using fluoroscopic and transthoracic echocardiographic guidance

We describe a case of primary cardiac lymphoma diagnosed by transvenous biopsy under fluoroscopic and transthoracic echocardiographic guidance. A 38-year-old man was admitted because of exertional dyspnea. ECG revealed complete atrioventricular block. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a large mass attached to the interventricular septum and protruding into the right atrium. The patient underwent a right heart catheterization and a biopsy was taken from the mass using fluoroscopic and transthoracic echocardiographic guidance. Diagnosis of malignant lymphoma was established by the biopsy specimen. The use of transthoracic echo in conjunction with fluoroscopy may be useful for the diagnosis of intracardiac mass transvenously.

Transjugular biopsy of a right atrial mass under intracardiac echocardiographic guidance

Biopsy of cardiac tumors to obtain a tissue diagnosis has been performed under echocardiographic (transthoracic or transesophageal) or fluoroscopic guidance. We report successful transjugular biopsy of a right atrial mass using intracardiac echocardiographic guidance.

Successful Treatment of Primary Cardiac Lymphoma With Atrioventricular Nodal Block

A 69-year-old female suffering from third-degree atrioventricular block with syncope underwent permanent pacemaker implantation. However, she developed shortness of breath 2 months after the implantation. Blood tests revealed elevated levels of LDH, CRP, BNP, and SIL-2R. Transthoracic echocardiography showed thickened left and right atrial walls with mild pericardial effusion. A diagnosis was made based on a CT scan and histology. Although most primary cardiac malignant lymphomas are associated with a poor prognosis, the patient was treated successfully with chemotherapy.

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.

Primary cardiac Burkitt lymphoma in a child

Primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL) is a rare and usually fatal malignancy, seldom reported in children. This report describes the case of a 10-year-old boy who presented with multiple intracardiac masses which, when biopsied, proved to be small non-cleaved cell (Burkitt's) lymphoma. The first two cycles of chemotherapy according to the LMB 96 protocol were given under close cardiological supervision, with good response. The treatment was then continued with full-dose chemotherapy, without any cardiological complication. The patient who was treated by chemotherapy alone remains in complete remission 36 months after the end of treatment and can presently be considered as cured, without late cardiac effect.

Clinical perspectives of primary cardiac lymphoma

Primary cardiac lymphoma is a very rare malignancy, which is typically of a non-Hodgkin type, and involves only the heart and pericardium with no or minimal evidence of extracardiac involvement. Primary cardiac lymphoma account for about 1% of the primary cardiac tumors and 0.5% of the extranodal lymphomas. On the other hand, disseminated lymphoma with cardiac involvement can occur in up to 20% of patients with lymphoma. About 80% of cases of the primary cardiac lymphoma in immunocompetent hosts are of diffuse B-cell lymphoma, and in patients with immunodeficiency states, small noncleaved or immunoblastic lymphomas are more frequent. The right atrium and right ventricle are the 2 most frequently involved sites. Clinical presentation is heterogeneous and is generally related to the site of involvement in the heart. The diagnosis is suspected when patients present with a cardiac mass or an unexplained refractory pericardial effusion. A thorough workup should include transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Diagnosis is confirmed by cytology of the serous fluid from pericardial or pleural effusion or biopsy of the pericardial mass or endomyocardial tissue. The exploratory thoracotomy should not be delayed if indicated. Chemotherapy has been used alone or combined with radiotherapy. Similarly, palliative cardiac surgery has been performed, mainly for tumor debulking. Combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy is considered as the treatment of choice. The survival is generally less than a month without treatment but has been prolonged up to 5 years with palliative treatments in selected cases.

Linfoma cardíaco primario: diagnóstico mediante biopsia transyugular

Primary cardiac lymphoma, defined as a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma involving only the heart and pericardium, is an extremely rare malignancy. It should be suspected in patients with a heart mass and heart failure, unexplained refractory pericardial effusion or rhythm disturbances. Transvenous intracardiac tumor biopsy under fluoroscopic or transesophageal echocardiographic guidance, is a minimally invasive technique which makes definite diagnosis possible. We describe a patient in whom primary cardiac lymphoma was diagnosed by this technique. He also underwent percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy because of severe refractory pericardial effusion. Seven months after diagnosis and treatment with standard chemotherapy, the patient remained free of disease.

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

Primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL) is a rare and usually fatal neoplasm, which may cause syncope, arrhythmia, heart failure and pericardial effusion as presenting clinical complaints. A case of PCL in a 72-year-old man with moderate aortic stenosis is presented. The patient was investigated because of pericardial effusion and diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was obtained by open-chest biopsy of the heart. Fatal ventricular arrhythmia developed the day after the first course of chemotherapy. Clinical presentations and diagnostic approach of this rare tumour are discussed. While chemotherapy is the only effective treatment of PCL, early post-chemotherapy phase should be considered critical in patients with PCL, as suggested by other reported fatal complications in this period.