Immunophenotypical Switch versus Tumor Heterogeneity in a Patient with HIV-Associated Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Abstract EN

Patients with HIV/AIDS have a higher risk of developing aggressive B-cell lymphomas, such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Lymphomas are rather heterogeneous in nature and in a few cases can switch their genetic or immunohistochemical phenotype, transform into other lymphomas or carry more than one malignant clone.

In this report, we present the case of a 47-year-old man with HIV infection who was diagnosed with an apparent low-risk, early-stage DLBCL, but became refractory to therapy while undergoing treatment with rituximab-containing chemotherapy.

We postulate that the development of his refractory disease occurred in the context of an immunohistochemical switch or the surge of a clone refractory to therapy.

This phenomenon was not associated with a superinfection with EBV or HHV-8.