KHSV − EBV − post‐transplant effusion lymphoma with plasmablastic features: variant of primary effusion lymphoma?

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a rare type of B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), which predominantly occurs in HIV‐infected individuals, and is pathogenetically linked with Kaposi sarcoma (KS)‐associated herpes virus/human herpes virus‐8 (KSHV/HHV‐8) infection with or without evidence of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) co‐infection. Although uncommon, PELs have been reported in immunocompetent patients and recipients of solid organ allografts. Rare cases of KSHV − EBV + post‐transplant effusion lymphomas resembling PEL have also been described, as have KSHV − EBV − effusion lymphomas, the latter including those arising in individuals with chronic liver disease. We report a unique KSHV − EBV − post‐transplant effusion lymphoma associated with serum paraproteins, occurring in an HIV − individual, which had cytologic features and phenotype similar to PEL, and displayed a complex karyotype including isochromosome 12p and translocation t(8;22), resulting in rearrangement of c‐MYC . Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.