Primary cardiac plasmablastic (diffuse large B-cell) lymphoma mimicking left ventricular aneurysm with mural thrombus

Abstract

Primary cardiac lymphoma is rare and is usually of the non-Hodgkin type. By definition, it involves only the heart and the pericardium, with no evidence of extracardiac disease. Primary cardiac lymphoma accounts for 1% of primary cardiac tumors and 0.5% of extranodal lymphomas [Gowda RM, Kahn RA. Clinical perspectives of primary cardiac lymphoma. Angiology 2003;54(5):599-604]. On the other hand, secondary cardiac involvement can occur in approximately 20% of patients with disseminated extracardiac lymphoma [Gowda RM, Kahn RA. Clinical perspectives of primary cardiac lymphoma. Angiology 2003;54(5):599-604]. The majority of primary cardiac lymphomas are diffuse large B-cell lymphomas with centroblastic or immunoblastic cytologic features. Herein, we describe an exceptional case of a primary cardiac plasmablastic variant of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (Epstein-Barr virus-positive) presenting in an immunocompetent host with chest pain that mimicked a left ventricular apical thrombus.