Primary cardiac malignant lymphoma: survival for 13 years after surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy.

Abstract

We report a patient who has survived for 13 years after surgical resection of a cardiac malignant lymphoma. A 73-year-old woman underwent partial resection of a tumor occluding the tricuspid valve, which arose from the right atrium. The pathologic diagnosis was diffuse large B cell lymphoma. She was treated with adjuvant chemotherapy for 6 months postoperatively. Since then, she has shown no evidence of recurrence, without any further treatment. To our knowledge, this is the longest surviving case of cardiac malignant lymphoma. The therapeutic strategy for this malignant cardiac tumor is discussed briefly.