Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome-associated Burkitt lymphoma after combination antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients.

HIV/AIDS-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is defined as a paradoxical worsening or unmasking of infections and autoimmune diseases, following initiation of combination anti-retroviral therapy (cART). More recently, the case definition of IRIS has been broadened to include certain malignancies including Kaposi’s sarcoma, and less frequently Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Here in we describe 3 patients infected with HIV who began cART and within a median of 15 weeks each achieved non-detectable HIV viral loads, and yet within 6 months presented for medical attention with fevers, night sweats, weight loss and bulky lymphadenopathy. Laboratory studies included elevated lactate dehydrogenase and β-2 microglobulin levels and well preserved CD4 lymphocyte counts in excess of 350 cells/µL. In each patient lymph node biopsies were diagnostic of Burkitt lymphoma (BL). Patients were managed with multi-agent chemotherapy in conjunction with cART. We also survey the medical literature of other cases of IRIS-associated BL. Although the pathogenesis of IRIS-associated BL is not well elucidated, chronic antigenic stimulation coupled with immune deterioration, followed by subsequent restoration of the immune response and aberrant cytokine expression may be a pathway to lymphomagenesis. IRIS-associated BL should be suspected in patients with normal or near normal CD4 lymphocyte counts who develop progressive lymphadenopathy post-initiation of cART.