Related Experiment Videos
Cardiac malignant lymphoma: a case report
Insights
Sudden cardiac death in a lymphoma patient was linked to cardiac lymphoma, not myocardial infarction. Electrocardiogram changes in lymphoma patients may indicate heart involvement.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Oncology
- Pathology
Background:
- Non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma can have extranodal manifestations.
- Cardiac involvement in lymphoma is rare but can be life-threatening.
Observation:
- A 76-year-old man with a history of lymphoma died suddenly from cardiogenic shock.
- Electrocardiogram showed signs of acute lateral myocardial infarction.
- Autopsy revealed cardiac lymphoma, affecting the sinoatrial node, but no myocardial infarction.
Findings:
- The patient's clinical presentation mimicked myocardial infarction.
- Cardiac lymphoma was the cause of death, not acute myocardial infarction.
- Histopathology confirmed lymphoma infiltration of the heart.
Implications:
- Electrocardiographic changes and conduction disturbances in lymphoma patients may indicate cardiac lymphoma.
- Early recognition of cardiac lymphoma is crucial for patient management.
- This case highlights the importance of considering cardiac lymphoma in differential diagnosis.
Abstract:
A 76 year old man, who had undergone tonsillectomy for non Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma, died suddenly in rapidly evolving cardiogenic shock with electrocardiographic signs of acute lateral myocardial infarction. Post mortem examination showed three cardiac lesions, two in the left ventricle and one in the right atrium, corresponding to the "crista terminalis". Histologic examination of autopsy samples confirmed the presence of lymphoma in the heart, partially affecting the sino atrial node (NSA) but excluding other sites. There was no evidence of acute myocardial infarction in spite of the clinical signs and symptoms. An infarction-type electrocardiographic pattern associated with conduction disturbances in patients with lymphoma should suggest the possibility of cardiac localization of the disease.