Primary cutaneous plasmablastic lymphoma as first sign of human immunodeficiency virus infection

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is an uncommon lymphoid neoplasm characterized by a diffuse proliferation of large neoplastic cells similar to B immunoblasts but with immunophenotypic features resembling plasma cells, originally reported in the oral cavity in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. This lymphoma may be observed also in the setting of other types of immune suppression and even in non-immune-suppressed individuals. We report on a 48-year-old man who presented with a large, exophytic tumor of 3-month duration located to the sacral region, classified as PBL upon histopathologic and phenotypic features. The lymphoma represented the first sign of a yet undiagnosed infection by human immunodeficiency virus. This review addresses the clinical, histopathologic, phenotypic, differential diagnostic, and prognostic features of cutaneous PBL.