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 as a 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.