Association of body cavity-based lymphoma and human herpesvirus 8 in an HIV-seronegative male. Report of a case with immunocytochemical and molecular studies.

BACKGROUND

Recently lymphomas arising primarily in serosal surfaces have been found in patients with advanced acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), but they very rarely seem to occur in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients. Studies on a subset of these lymphomas suggested that they represent a distinct entity associated with Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus or human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8).

CASE

An 83-year-old, HIV-negative male was admitted to the hospital with a massive pleural effusion. Abdominal and chest computed tomographic scanning was normal. Cytologic analysis of the pleural effusion revealed a large cell, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Polymerase chain reaction analyses on genomic DNA from the pleural effusion demonstrated the presence of HHV-8 sequences in the absence of Epstein-Barr virus.

CONCLUSION

It is possible and advantageous to diagnose body cavity-based lymphoma with a combination of cytologic, immunocytochemical and molecular studies of the pleural effusion in conjunction with clinical and radiographic information.