Cardiac relapse of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma manifesting as incessant ventricular tachycardia: a case report

Background Cardiac tumours are rare but affected patients may present with symptoms mimicking other cardiac diseases. The most frequent symptoms include heart failure, arrhythmias, or embolic phenomena. Case summary A 39-year-old man with a history of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma of the nasal type (ENKTL-NT) in clinical remission presented at our department with incessant ventricular tachycardia. The arrhythmia could only be controlled with a combination of intravenously administered beta-blockers, ajmaline, and amiodarone. Diagnostic workup excluded ischaemia, but imaging revealed a tumour located in the apex of the left ventricle. Endomyocardial biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of cardiac relapse of ENKTL-NT. Upon chemotherapy no further arrhythmias developed. Discussion Many malignancies can metastasize into the heart. Multimodal imaging including echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and a positron-emission tomography computed tomography paved the way to the diagnosis that was finally established by endomyocardial biopsy. In the present case, a cardiac metastasis from an ENKTL-NT presented with incessant ventricular tachycardia.