AIDS-related lymphoma describes

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlar ...

s occurring in

patient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health c ...

s with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

). A lymphoma is a type of cancer arising from

lymphoid The lymphatic system, or lymphoid system, is an organ system in vertebrates that is part of the immune system, and complementary to the circulatory system. It consists of a large network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymphatic or lymphoid o ...

cells Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...

. In AIDS, the incidences of

non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include lymphadenopathy, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight los ...

, primary cerebral lymphoma and

Hodgkin's disease Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma, in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the patient's lymph nodes. The condition wa ...

are all increased. There are three different varieties of AIDS-related lymphoma:

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a cancer of B cells, a type of lymphocyte that is responsible for producing antibody, antibodies. It is the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma among adults, with an annual Incidence (epidemiology), in ...

, B-cell immunoblastic lymphoma, and

Burkitt's lymphoma Burkitt lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, particularly B lymphocytes found in the germinal center. It is named after Denis Parsons Burkitt, the Irish surgeon who first described the disease in 1958 while working in equatorial Africa. ...

(small non-cleaved cell lymphoma).

Symptoms and signs

The symptoms of AIDS-related lymphoma can include: weight loss, fever, and night sweats.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include lymphadenopathy, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight los ...

(NHL) is present in about 1%–3% of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

seropositive people at the time of the initial diagnosis of HIV. However, it is believed that such patients have been seropositive for a prolonged period, but have simply not had their infections recognized previously. This is so because immunodysregulation must exist for an extended interval of time, in order for a lymphoproliferative process to evolve in that context.

Primary cerebral lymphoma

Primary cerebral lymphoma (or ''

primary central nervous system lymphoma Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), also termed primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system (DLBCL-CNS), is a primary intracranial tumor appearing mostly in patients with severe immunodeficiency (typically pa ...

'') is a form of NHL. It is very rare in

immunocompetent In immunology, immunocompetence is the ability of the body to produce a normal immune response following exposure to an antigen. Immunocompetence is the opposite of immunodeficiency (also known as ''immuno-incompetence'' or being ''immuno-comprom ...

people, with an incidence of 5–30 cases per million person-years. However the incidence in

immunocompromise Immunodeficiency, also known as immunocompromisation, is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious diseases and cancer is compromised or entirely absent. Most cases are acquired ("secondary") due to extrinsic factors that a ...

d individuals is greatly increased, up to 100 per million person-years. Primary cerebral lymphoma is strongly associated with

Epstein–Barr virus The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), formally called ''Human gammaherpesvirus 4'', is one of the nine known human herpesvirus types in the herpes family, and is one of the most common viruses in humans. EBV is a double-stranded DNA virus. It is b ...

(EBV). The presence of EBV DNA in

cerebrospinal fluid Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear, colorless body fluid found within the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord of all vertebrates. CSF is produced by specialised ependymal cells in the choroid plexus of the ventricles of the bra ...

is highly suggestive of primary cerebral lymphoma. Treatment of AIDS patients with

antiretroviral drug The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of multiple ...

s reduces the incidence of primary cerebral lymphoma.

Hodgkin's disease

The incidence of

in the general population is about 10–30 per million person-years. This increases to 170 per million person-years in HIV positive patients.

References

External links

Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancy in the National Cancer Institute

Information on AIDS-related cancers from the National Cancer Institute
{{Hematological malignancy histology HIV/AIDS Lymphoma