CD20-negative CD138-positive leukemic large cell lymphoma with plasmablastic differentiation with an IgH/MYC translocation in an HIV-positive patient.

A 49-year-old HIV-positive Japanese man was referred to our hospital for multiple skin nodules. Many plasmablastic atypical lymphocytes were observed in the peripheral blood. He was diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) by a biopsy of the inguinal lymph node. IgH/MYC translocation was detected by in situ hybridization of the lymph node and chromosomal analysis of bone marrow cells showed 46, XY, t(8 ; 14)(q24 ; q32)add(14)(q32), der(21)t(1 ; 21)(q12 ; p11). He showed a transient response to multi-agent chemotherapy, and during the course of salvage chemotherapy, he died of urinary infection. This case has unique clinical features compared with previously reported DLBCLs with plasmablastic differentiation.