[Human herpesvirus-8 negative primary effusion lymphoma with complete clinical remission after removal of ascites]

A 58-year-old HIV-negative woman was admitted to our hospital with abdominal distension. She had a 5-year history of hypothyroidism and a 4-year history of diabetes mellitus. Physical examination revealed ascites. There was no lymphadenopathy or splenomegaly. Laboratory examination showed elevated levels of serum LDH and Al-p, polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, and was positive for anti-nuclear antibody, several autoantibodies and HCV-RNA. A computed tomographic scan of the abdomen and chest showed massive ascites, but there was no evidence of tumor masses or lymph node enlargement. Cytologic examination of the ascitic fluid revealed numerous abnormal lymphocytes which by flow cytometry demonstrated expression of CD5, CD19, CD20, and CD4. Cytogenetical analysis demonstrated a hyperdiploid karyotype, with numerical abnormalities. Southern blot analysis demonstrated rearranged monoclonal bands in JH and c-mycgenes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis failed to detect the genomes of EBV and HHV-8 in the abnormal lymphocytes. A diagnosis of primary effusion lymphoma of B cell lineage was made. Following abdominal paracentesis, the patient remained in complete clinical remission for 7 months and died of an unrelated cause (cerebral bleeding). The present case demonstrated an HIV-, HHV-8-, and EBV-negative, and HCV-positive primary effusion lymphoma of B cell lineage, with a unique clinical course.