Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: an unusual cause of myocardial infarction and hypercalcaemia.

Cardiac involvement is reported in 10%-20% of patients with lymphoma, but it is characteristically difficult to detect clinically or by investigation. Hypercalcaemia is a rare complication. Both complications usually occur late in the natural history of lymphoma. We report a case of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, who, within 2 weeks of presentation, developed symptomatic hypercalcaemia and, 3 days later, died of an acute myocardial infarction. Autopsy showed, unexpectedly, the unusual finding of coronary artery compression by lymphomatous deposits.