AIDS-associated lymphomas.

Patients with HIV infection, like immunosuppressed transplant recipients, are at high risk for the development of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. These are high-grade lymphomas of B cell origin. Most patients present with advanced extralymphatic disease, and primary lymphoma of the central nervous system has frequently been reported. The cause of the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in the setting of HIV infection remains unclear. In contrast to those lymphomas observed in transplant recipients, Epstein-Barr virus DNA sequences have been identified in a minority of AIDS-associated lymphomas. Response to therapy in these patients has been disappointing. Response rates to chemotherapy have been lower than those observed in other lymphoma patients, and treatment has been complicated by lack of adequate bone marrow reserve and the occurrence of frequent opportunistic infections. Survivals have been short. Good performance status and absence of a prior AIDS diagnosis are important predictors of response and survival. Although Hodgkin's disease has been observed in HIV-infected patients, epidemiologic data are not suggestive of a direct causal relationship. Hodgkin's disease in this setting is characterized by poor prognosis histologic pattern, advanced disease, and median survivals of less than 1 year.