Plasmablastic lymphomas may occur as post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders.

AIMS: To describe four cases of plasmablastic lymphoma arising in the unusual setting of a post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD).

METHODS AND

RESULTS

Four cases were encountered over 2 years in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients following renal, heart or bone marrow transplantation. The cases were routinely processed and immunohistochemistry was performed. The cases showed blastic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma morphology and plasma cell-like immunophenotypic features: minimal or absent expression of leucocyte common antigen and CD20, variable CD79a and VS38 positivity. Monoclonal light chain restriction was also detected.

CONCLUSIONS

The emphasis of this paper is to document further the occurrence of plasmablastic lymphomas in HIV- individuals and to expand the spectrum of PTLD.