Radiological-Pathological Correlation in Plasmablastic Lymphoma in an Immunocompromised Patient

Abstract

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a malignant, rare, and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with poor response to treatment that most commonly involves the oral mucosa of immunodeficient patients. The orbit might be primarily or secondarily involved; on the other hand other pathological conditions, i.e., fungal infections, may localize in the orbit in both immunocompromised patients and drug user, which might have similar radiological features. We describe the clinical, radiological, and pathological features of an orbital plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) in an immunocompromised HIV positive drug user patient.

Radiological features of oral and maxillofacial plasmablastic lymphomas

“…It is not surprising with the incidence of radiological evidence of orbital involvement that vision loss and proptosis were common clinical signs. Ocular involvement with associated symptoms, albeit rare, have been previously reported in the literature [11,21,22]. Infiltration of the cranium was also noted radiologically in seven cases in the current study.…”

Case Report: Conjunctival Chemosis as a Presenting Sign of Plasmablastic Lymphoma in a HIV Negative Patient

“…The most common presenting clinical signs and symptoms of orbital plasmablastic lymphoma in reported cases include eye pain, reduced vision, eyelid swelling, ophthalmoplegia, conjunctival chemosis, and globe proptosis (Table 1). Conjunctival chemosis and globe proptosis are the two most common clinical signs, with conjunctival chemosis present in 8 of the 13 total cases reported in the literature and proptosis reported in all of the cases 5–13 . We report a fifth case of an HIV-negative patient with ocular adnexal involvement of unilateral conjunctival chemosis and mild globe proptosis as initial presenting signs of plasmablastic lymphoma.…”

“…[4][5][6][7][8] The most common presenting clinical signs and symptoms of orbital plasmablastic lymphoma in reported cases include eye pain, reduced vision, eyelid swelling, ophthalmoplegia, conjunctival chemosis, and globe proptosis ( all of the cases. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] We report a fifth case of an HIV-negative patient with ocular adnexal involvement of unilateral conjunctival chemosis and mild globe proptosis as initial presenting signs of plasmablastic lymphoma.…”