PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Darakhshan Sohail Ahmed
AU  - Marc Poliquin
AU  - Louis-André Julien
AU  - Jean-Pierre Routy
TI  - Extracavitary primary effusion lymphoma recurring with syphilis in an HIV-infected patient
AID  - 10.1136/bcr-2020-235204
DP  - 2020 Nov 01
TA  - BMJ Case Reports
PG  - e235204
VI  - 13
IP  - 11
4099  - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/13/11/e235204.short
4100  - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/13/11/e235204.full
SO  - BMJ Case Reports2020 Nov 01; 13
AB  - A 59-year-old Caucasian man infected with HIV, in remission from human herpes virus-8-positive extracavitary primary effusion lymphoma (EC-PEL), presented to a sexual health clinic with fever and rectal pain 10 weeks after a single episode of receptive anal sexual intercourse with another man. He was initially treated for a presumptive diagnosis of lymphogranuloma venereum proctitis, then for syphilis on positive serology. Rectosigmoidoscopy revealed a single ulcerated rectal mass; endoscopic biopsies confirmed the recurrence of EC-PEL. The patient received chemotherapy and went into remission. This is the first reported case of EC-PEL occurring synchronously with early syphilis, and specifically at the site of inoculation, which can be a major diagnostic challenge since both conditions may present with lymphadenopathy, mucosal involvement and constitutional symptoms. We reviewed the literature for similar cases and hypothesised that syphilis may have triggered the recurrence of this rare lymphoma.