Key result
FDG-PET/CT imaging was a valuable diagnostic and follow-up modality in a 72-year-old woman with a rare case of low-grade primary cardiac lymphoma detected in a pericardial effusion.
Case Report (n=1)
FDG-PET/CT is a valuable diagnostic and follow-up modality for rare cases of low-grade primary cardiac lymphoma presenting with pericardial effusion.
May aid diagnosis and follow-up in rare primary cardiac lymphoma; leaves open need for prospective validation.
BACKGROUND Primary cardiac lymphoma is rare and can be an aggressive disease, depending on the grade. A case is reported of low-grade primary cardiac lymphoma associated with a pericardial effusion. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) imaging was useful in the diagnosis and in evaluating the disease activity in this case. CASE REPORT A 72-year-old Japanese woman visited a general practitioner, complaining of dyspnea associated with cardiac tamponade. Pericardiocentesis was performed, and Group V malignant cells were identified by cytology, suspicious for malignant lymphoma. Whole-body FDG-PET/CT scans showed no pleural effusion or lymph node metastasis supporting the diagnosis of primary cardiac lymphoma diagnosed on pericardial effusion. The laboratory investigations showed that levels of serum soluble interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor (sIL-2R), a diagnostic and prognostic marker for malignant lymphoma, were not elevated (258 U/ml). A six-month follow-up FDG-PET/CT scan showed an increased volume of the pericardial effusion and mild but abnormal uptake diffusely in the pericardial space, and the sIL-2R was slightly elevated (860 U/ml). No abnormal FDG accumulation outside the retained pericardial effusion was noted, which was compatible with a clinical picture of low-grade primary cardiac lymphoma, and in a period of watchful waiting during the first two years later, the sIL-2R had reduced to 195 U/ml. CONCLUSIONS This is a rare case of low-grade primary cardiac lymphoma detected in a pericardial effusion, and highlights the utility of the FDG-PET/CT scan as a valuable diagnostic and follow-up modality.
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Fukunaga et al. (2018) conducted a case report in Low-grade primary cardiac lymphoma with pericardial effusion (n=1). FDG-PET/CT imaging was evaluated on Diagnosis and evaluation of disease activity. FDG-PET/CT imaging was a valuable diagnostic and follow-up modality in a 72-year-old woman with a rare case of low-grade primary cardiac lymphoma detected in a pericardial effusion.
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