Lymphoma with effusion in an HIV patient

Simone Van-Horne, MD, Pauline Germaine, DO, Nancy Zieber, RN, and David H. Henry, MD

Joan Karnell Cancer Center, Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

A 42-year-old man presented with a history of HIV and Kaposi’s sarcoma, complaining of increasing shortness of breath, generalized weakness, abdominal pains, and abdominal distension. A chest radiograph showed a large pleural effusion on the right and a moderate pleural effusion on the left. Pleurocentesis and paracentesis revealed a cell-rich, cloudy yellow, blood-stained fluid with an elevated lactate dehydrogenase level. Immunohistochemical staining confirmed the diagnosis of AIDS-related primary effusion lymphoma. The patient’s clinical condition improved considerably after fluid was drained from his chest and chemotherapy was initiated.

Commun Oncol 2005;2:429–432 print e-mail full text 160 kb