Isfahani Firoozeh, Amar Surabhi, Dave Harikrishna, Gridley Daniel
Department of Medicine, Maricopa Integrated Health System, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Department of Medicine, Maricopa Integrated Health System, Phoenix, AZ, USA Division of Hematology-Oncology, Maricopa Integrated Health System, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care. 2015 Jan-Feb;14(1):17-20. doi: 10.1177/2325957414553838. Epub 2014 Oct 15.
We report the case of a 33-year-old HIV-infected man who presented with a recurrent, nonhealing perianal fistula. After multiple benign biopsies, the diagnosis of plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) eventually was made. The patient underwent chemotherapy and radiation with a complete response. Perianal fistulas are frequent in HIV-positive patients, but PBL as a cause is extremely rare. This often delays the diagnosis and treatment of this highly aggressive disease. We review the literature and discuss the pitfalls in the diagnosis and management of the disease.
