Primary effusion Burkitt's lymphoma with t(8;22) in a patient with hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may be complicated by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma through yet unknown pathogenetic mechanisms. We describe the case of a patient with HCV-related cirrhosis who developed a primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) of Burkitt's type confined to the peritoneal cavity, in the absence of immunodeficiency or autoimmunity. Paracentesis followed by immunophenotyping, karyotyping, and molecular studies allowed us to diagnose a small noncleaved B-cell lymphoma (CD20(+), CD24(+), CD10(+), CD5(-), CD23(-), lambda(+)) with the t(8; 22) (q24; q11) translocation and clonal rearrangement of the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene. HCN-RNA, Epstein-Barr virus and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus were not identified within lymphoma cells. The finding of HCV-RNA in the ascitic fluid suggests a link between HCV and development of lymphoma with HCV playing the role of persistent antigenic stimulation to intraperitoneal B-cell clonal expansion(s). Copyright (C) 1997 by W.B. Saunders Company.