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Kshv/hhv8-associated lymphomas
Antonino
Carbone
National Cancer Institute, Milan, Italy
It was only after the discovery of KSHV/HHV8, that primary
effusion lymphoma (PEL) could be recognized as a distinct entity,
thanks to its consistent association with HHV-8 infection. As a
consequence, PEL has been included in the recent WHO lymphoma
classification, within the group of lymphomas occurring more
specifically in HIV positive patients.
PEL is a rare subset of AIDS non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
predominantly growing in the pleural, pericardial, and peritoneal
cavities as neoplastic effusions, usually without a contiguous
tumor mass. Morphologically, PEL shows features bridging
immunoblastic and anaplastic large-cell lymphomas, and frequently
displays a certain degree of plasma cell differentiation.
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