Key result
Extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma presents unusually as fatal cardiorespiratory failure driven by myocardial and pulmonary infiltrates.
Why the study?
Extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma usually involves the sinonasal area, but cases presenting with cardiorespiratory failure without upper respiratory lesions are not reported.
Case Report (n=1)
This is the first reported case of extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma presenting with cardiopulmonary failure due to myocardial and pulmonary infiltrates.
May prompt consideration of lymphoma infiltrates in unexplained cardiorespiratory failure; extends extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma spectrum but remains hypothesis-generating.
Extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma is an uncommon malignancy usually involving the sinonasal area. We report an unusual case of extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma diagnosed in a 62-year-old Caucasian male who died of progressive cardiorespiratory failure but had no clinically detectable upper respiratory system lesions. The initial diagnosis was made cytologically on a sample of pericardial fluid that contained neoplastic lymphoid cells. These cells were positive for CD2, cytoplasmic CD3, and Epstein-Barr virus and negative for CD56. The diagnosis was confirmed at the autopsy, which disclosed lymphoma infiltrates in the myocardium, lungs, stomach, and pancreas. The death was caused by heart and lung failure due to uncontrollable arrhythmia and respiratory insufficiency due to the lymphoma infiltrates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma presenting with cardiopulmonary failure.
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Li et al. (2016) conducted a case report in Extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma (n=1). Extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma was evaluated on Cardiorespiratory failure and death. Extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma presented unusually with progressive cardiorespiratory failure and death due to myocardial and pulmonary infiltrates, without detectable upper respiratory lesions.
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