Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Plasmablastic Lymphoma of Head and Neck: Report of Two New Cases and Correlation with c-myc and IgVH Gene Mutation Status

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Head and Neck Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a rare acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-associated non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (AIDS-NHL), with predilection for the mucosa of oral cavity. It usually has a plasmablastic morphology, expressing plasma cell-associated antigens with weak or absent expression of B-cell-associated markers. To further define the immunophenotypic and molecular genetics of these tumors, we investigated two cases of plasmablastic lymphomas of the head and neck for c-myc gene rearrangement and immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgVH) hypermutation status. For the first time we report a case of AIDS-related PBL that, by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), shows a c-myc gene rearrangement. Although current literature suggests that most cases of c-myc gene rearranged AIDS-NHL are Burkitt’s lymphoma, our case has an immunophenotype characteristic for PBL. In this case, IgVH hypermutation analysis showed a somatic hypermutation, indicative of germinal center transit. The concurrent B-cell immunophenotype of BCL-6−/CD138+/MUM-1+ also suggests a post-germinal center B-cell origin of this lymphoma. The immunophenotype of our second case (BCL-6−/CD138+/MUM-1+) also suggests a post-germinal center B-cell origin. However, IgVH hypermutation analysis was not possible in this case.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  1. Delecluse HJ, Anagnostopoulos I, Dallenbach F, Hummel M, Marafioti T, Schneider U, Huhn D, Schmidt-Westhausen A, Reichart PA, Gross U, Stein H. Plasmablastic lymphomas of the oral cavity: a new entity associated with the human immunodeficiency virus infection. Blood 1997;4:1413–20.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Cattaneo C, Facchetti F, Re A, Borlenghi E, Majorana A, Bardellini E, Cassari S, Tucci A, Conti G, Rossi G. Oral cavity lymphomas in immunocompetent and human immunodeficiency virus infected patients. Leuk Lymphoma 2005;46:77–81.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Dong HY, Scadden DT, de Leval L, Tang Z, Isaacson PG, Harris NL. Plasmablastic lymphoma in HIV-positive patients. An aggressive Epstein-Barr virus-associated extramedullary plasmacytic neoplasm. Am J Surg Pathol 2005;29:1633–41.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Flaitz CM, Nichols CM, Walling DM, Hicks MJ. Plasmablastic lymphoma: an HIV-associated entity with primary oral manifestations. Oral Oncol 2002;38:96–102.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Lin O, Gerhard R, Zerbini MCN, Teruya-Feldstein J. Cytologic features of plasmablastic lymphoma. Cancer Cytopathol 2005;105:139–44.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Scheper MA, Nikitakis NG, Fernandes R, Gocke CK, Ord RA, Sauk JJ. Oral plasmablastic lymphoma in an HIV-negative patient: a case report and review of the literature. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2005;100:198–206.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Folk GS, Abbondanzo SL, Childers EL, Foss RD. Plasmablastic lymphoma: a clinicopathologic correlation. Ann Diagn Pathol 2006;10:608–9.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Chetty R, Hlatswayo N, Muc R, Sabaratnam R, Gatter K. Plasmablastic lymphoma in HIV+ patients: an expanding spectrum. Histopathology 2003;42:605–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Colomo L, Loong F, Rives S, Pittaluga S, Martinez A, Lopez-Guillermo A, Ojanguren J, Romagosa V, Jaffe ES, Campo E. Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas with plasmablastic differentiation represent a heterogeneous group of disease entities. Am J Surg Pathol 2004;28:736–47.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Jaffe ES, Harris NL, Stein H. World Health Organization classification of tumor: pathology and genetics of tumours of haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues. Lyon, France: IARC Press; 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Vega F, Chang CC, Medeiros LJ, Udden MM, Cho-Vega JH, Lau C-C, Finch CJ, Vilchez RA, McGregor D, Jorgensen JL. Plasmablastic lymphomas and plasmablastic plasma cell myelomas have nearly identical immunophenotyic profiles. Mod Pathol 2005;18:806–15.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Ballerini P, Gaidano G, Gong JZ, Tassi Vittorio, SG, Knowles DM, Dalla-Favera R. Multiple genetic lesions in acquired immunodeficiency syndromes-related non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Blood 1993;81:166–76.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Carbone A. AIDS-related non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas: from pathology and molecular pathogenesis to treatment. Hum Pathol 2002;33:392–404.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Knowles DM. Molecular pathology of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Semin Diagn Pathol 2002;14:67–82.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Delecluse HJ, Raphael M, Magaud JP, Felman P, the French Study Group of Pathology for Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Tumors, Alsamad IA, Bornkamm GW, Lenoir GM. Variable morphology of human immunodeficiency virus-associated lymphomas with C-MYC rearrangements. Blood 1993;82:552–63.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Gaidano G, Carbone A, Dalla-Favera R. Genetic basis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related lymphomagenesis. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 1998;23:95–100.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Gaidano G, Cerri M, Capello D, Berra E, Deambrogi C, Rossi D, Larocca LM, Dampo E, Gloghini A, Tirelli U, Carbone A. Molecular histogenesis of plasmablastic lymphoma of the oral cavity. Br J Haematol 2002;119:622–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Vasconcelos Y, Davi F, Levy V, Oppezzo P, Magnac C, Michel A, Yamamoto M, Pritsch O, Merle-Béral M, Maloum K, Ajchenbaum-Cymbalista F, Dighiero G. Binet’s staging system and VH genes are independent but complementary prognostic indicators in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. J Clin Oncol 2003;21:3928–32.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Hamblin TJ, Davis Z, Gardiner A, Oscier DG, Stevenson FK. Unmutated Ig VH genes are associated with a more aggressive form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Blood 1999;94:1848–54.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Immunology, Division of Anatomic Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8118, 660 South Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA

    Anjum Hassan, Friederike Kreisel, James S. Lewis Jr. & Samir K. El-Mofty

  2. Department of Pathology, St. Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA

    Laura Gardner

Authors
  1. Anjum Hassan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Friederike Kreisel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Laura Gardner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. James S. Lewis Jr.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Samir K. El-Mofty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anjum Hassan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hassan, A., Kreisel, F., Gardner, L. et al. Plasmablastic Lymphoma of Head and Neck: Report of Two New Cases and Correlation with c-myc and IgVH Gene Mutation Status. Head and Neck Pathol 1, 150–155 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-007-0006-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-007-0006-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation