Human immunodeficiency virus--associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma presenting as an auricular perichondritis.

AIDS-related NHL is an aggressive neoplasm, usually of high or intermediate grade, frequently extranodal at initial treatment, and often the first manifestation of AIDS. Although complete remissions have been reported, they occur in only a minority of patients. We describe a patient with NHL of the external ear that masqueraded as an auricular perichondritis. This is the first case reported in which AIDS-related NHL first appeared in the ear, and this should alert physicians who treat patient with AIDS to be aware of the protean manifestations of this disease.