Primary cardiac lymphoma treated with orthotopic heart transplantation: a case report

Abstract

Primary lymphoma of the heart is an extremely rare tumor. It is associated with a high mortality rate because of the advanced stage of myocardial involvement at initial presentation. Conventional surgical and medical treatments have not met with much success. This article reports the first case of primary cardiac lymphoma treated with orthotopic heart transplantation. The patient had hemodynamically significant severe acute rejection, neutropenic sepsis, and tumor recurrence during the late postoperative period, illustrating the difficulties associated with concomitant immunosuppression and tumor chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the patient died after a period of remission. Our approach to the integration of immunosuppression with chemotherapy, posttransplantation follow-up, and complications is discussed.