title: Lymphoproliferative disorder in pleural effusion in a subject with past asbestos exposure.
abstract: Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that presents as serous effusions without detectable masses or organomegaly. Here we report a case of PEL-like lymphoma in a patient with past asbestos exposure. A 65-year-old man was referred to our hospital due to dyspnea upon exertion. He had been exposed to asbestos for three years in the construction industry. Chest X-ray and CT images demonstrated left pleural effusion. Cytological analysis of the pleural effusion revealed large atypical lymphocytes with distinct nuclear bodies and high nucleus-to-cytoplasm ratio. Immunohistochemical analyses showed that the cells were CD20(+), CD3(-), CD5(-), and CD10(-). These findings led to a diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. PEL or PEL-like lymphoma should be considered a potential cause of pleural effusion in subjects with past asbestos exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama Rosai Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Naofumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Okayama Rosai Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobukazu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama Rosai Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama Rosai Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamagishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama Rosai Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama Rosai Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fuchimoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama Rosai Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Sae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama Rosai Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Okayama Rosai Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kishimoto
keywords: Asbestos; CT, computed tomography; DLBCL, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; HHV, human herpesvirus; Lymphoma; Mesothelioma; PEL, primary effusion lymphoma; Pleural effusion; Thoracoscopy