RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Extracavitary primary effusion lymphoma recurring with syphilis in an HIV-infected patient
JF BMJ Case Reports
JO BMJ Case Reports
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e235204
DO 10.1136/bcr-2020-235204
VO 13
IS 11
A1 Darakhshan Sohail Ahmed
A1 Marc Poliquin
A1 Louis-André Julien
A1 Jean-Pierre Routy
YR 2020
UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/13/11/e235204.abstract
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.