title: Orbital plasmablastic lymphoma with remission following chemotherapy.
abstract: We report the case of a middle-aged HIV-positive man who presented with proptosis and retro-ocular pain. On CT and MR imaging, a retro-orbital enhancing mass was seen, and PET/CT revealed this lesion as well as a similarly characterized mass in the nasopharynx to be hypermetabolic. Biopsy and subsequent pathological characterization revealed this mass to be plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL), a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma associated with HIV-infection. PBL is a diffuse B-cell lymphoma with characteristic cell marker patterns. The most common site of this malignancy is within the oral cavity. This case constitutes an unusual orbital manifestation of plasmablastic lymphoma as well as an unusual case in its response to chemotherapy. This case illustrates the importance of functional imaging with PET/CT in the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of plasmablastic lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Degnan
authors.forename: Lucien M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Levy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005047:Etoposide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069585:Filgrastim; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D009918:Orbital Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012074:Remission Induction; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014750:Vincristine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor; C455861:pegfilgrastim; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D014750:Vincristine; D005047:Etoposide; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D000069585:Filgrastim; D011241:Prednisone