Secondary intracardiac Burkitt-like lymphoma in the absence of HIV infection.

Malignant lymphoma can involve the cardiac cavity or myocardium as a mass. Since clinical symptoms of its cardiac involvement are usually absent or non-specific, they may be undetected during life. Burkitt-like lymphoma (BLL) is a highly aggressive B-cell lymphoma with a high proliferative rate. Histopathological characteristics are considered borderline between those of classic Burkitt lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Extensive cardiac involvement of BLL is rare and poorly documented in the literature. We report the case of a child with BLL, presenting with extensive infiltration of the heart in the absence of HIV infection, and with right-sided heart failure and positional dyspnoea as the major clinical problems. We highlight the challenges for diagnosis and adequate treatment in poor settings like ours.