Oral plasmablastic lymphoma in previously undiagnosed HIV disease

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is the second most common HIV;associated malignancy this report details a case of the recently described entity plasmablastic lymphoma of the mouth in a patient who was later found to have severe HIV disease. The tumor manifested asa large ulcerated mass of the left maxillary alveolus, causing bony destruction and tooth mobility. Histologic examination of lesional tissue revealed a lymphoid tumor with a high proliferation rate containing lymphoplasmacytoid cells that were reactive to the plasma cell marker VS38c but not to CD20 or CD79a; these are features of the recently reported non-Hodgkin's lymphoma termed plasmablastic lymphoma. This is only the second report of an unusual tumor that has a predilection for the orofacial tissues.