[Incidence of lymphoid neoplasms in patients with HIV infection]

The incidence, histologic type and clinical characteristics of the lymphoid neoplasms found in patients with HIV infection may be influenced by environmental factors. These characteristics were herewith investigated in the authors medium.

The medical records of the patients in whom lymphoma was diagnosed were reviewed studying the usual clinical, epidemiological, histological and biological variables.

Fourteen patients: 10 with non Hodgkin lymphomas and four with Hodgkin disease were studied. The prevalence was 5% of the total number of patients with AIDS. Seven patients of the former and none of the latter had previously uncomplicated HIV infection. The following histologic types were observed: two Burkitt lymphoma, 4 undifferentiated lymphomas and 4 immunoblastic lymphomas among the non Hodgkin cases and two with mixed cellularity, one lymphocytic depletion and one undetermined among the Hodgkin's cases. Eighty percent of the patients with non Hodgkin lymphoma and 50% of the patients with Hodgkin disease presented a IV-B stage. The median of survival was 2.5 months (limits 1-8) for non Hodgkin cases and 11 months (limits 1-36) for the patients with Hodgkin disease.

The prevalence of lymphoma in patients with AIDS in the authors' medium is similar to that referred in other studies although a high proportion of Hodgkin's disease may be found.