title: Primary cardiac lymphoma: two cases and a review of literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary cardiac lymphoma is one of the rarest tumours of the heart. It belongs to the extra-nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. The most common type of this tumour is diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Usually, right atrium and right ventricle are involved. This tumour is fatal unless diagnosed and treated in time. In this article two female patients who were diagnosed with primary cardiac lymphoma and treated at our clinic are described. The first patient went to remission after the treatment, while the second patient died. The goals of this article are to show the difficulties of diagnosing and treating this disease, the role of cardiac surgery in its treatment and to raise awareness of this disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this article two female patients who were diagnosed with primary cardiac lymphoma and treated at our clinic are described. The first patient went to remission after the treatment, while the second patient died.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Primary cardiac lymphoma is a very rare disease. At the moment the most effective treatment is chemotherapy. Palliative surgery may be necessary to correct hemodynamics when venous blood flow to the lungs is disturbed.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. karolismd@gmail.com.|Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. karolismd@gmail.com.|Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine Centre of Cardiac Surgery, Santariskiu g. 2, Vilnius, 08661, Lithuania. karolismd@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Karolis
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jonavicius
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. kestutss@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Kestutis
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Salcius
authors.affiliation: National Centre of Pathology, Affiliate of Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu Clinics, Vilnius, Lithuania. raimundas.meskauskas@vpc.lt.
authors.forename: Raimundas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meskauskas
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Physics of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. nomeda.valeviciene@santa.lt.
authors.forename: Nomeda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Valeviciene
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. virgilijus.tarutis@santa.lt.|Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine Centre of Cardiac Surgery, Santariskiu g. 2, Vilnius, 08661, Lithuania. virgilijus.tarutis@santa.lt.
authors.forename: Virgilijus
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tarutis
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania. vytautas.sirvydis@santa.lt.
authors.forename: Vytautas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sirvydis
mesh_terms: D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome