Progressive Heart Failure and Death as the Initial Manifestation of NK/T-Cell Lymphoma: A Case Report and Literature Review

Ziyu Zhang; Shuai Wang; Qingchun Liang; Daoquan Peng

doi:10.3389/fcvm.2021.685736

Progressive Heart Failure and Death as the Initial Manifestation of NK/T-Cell Lymphoma: A Case Report and Literature Review

Front Cardiovasc Med. 2021 Jun 24:8:685736. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.685736. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Ziyu Zhang¹, Shuai Wang¹, Qingchun Liang², Daoquan Peng¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
² Department of Pathology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South Univerisity, Changsha, China.

Abstract

Natural killer/T-cell (NK/T-cell) lymphoma is a rare-type non-Hodgkin lymphoma derived from NK cells or cytotoxic T cells. Here, we present a case of a 40-year-old woman who experienced quick-developed global heart failure and then was diagnosed with NK/T-cell lymphoma through lymphoid biopsy. Neither transthoracic echocardiography nor any radiological images detected a mass in her heart or pericardium. Elevated plasma troponin level and diffused patchy areas of gadolinium late enhancement on cardiac magnetic resonance were compatible with myocarditis. Considering the persistently elevated cytokine level, systemic inflammation symptoms, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and cardiac dysfunction, a cytokine storm secondary to NK/T-cell lymphoma was considered. Due to the refractory malignant arrhythmia, the patient died soon after being admitted to our hospital.

Keywords: NK/T-cell lymphoma; cytokine strom; heart failure; inflammation; myocarditis.

Publication types

Case Reports