Plasmablastic lymphoma of the oral cavity in a human immunodeficiency virus-negative patient: A case report with literature review

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is an aggressive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma variant that is most frequently observed in the oral cavity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals. However, in recent years, some cases have emerged in patients without HIV infection and involve other sites like stomach, lung, nasal cavity, and jejunum. We report a rare case of PBL in the maxillary anterior area of a 62-year-old man without HIV infection. The tumor cells were characterized by non-cohesive round or oval shape cells with eccentrically-placed nuclei with a prominent perinuclear halo. Immunohistochemical studies showed that the tumor cells were strongly positive for MUM1, VS38c, VMT, and kappa light chain, focally positive for LCA and CD79a, and negative for CD3, CD20, CD56, l light chain, CK-pan, EMA, and HMB45. The patient was treated with chemotherapy using cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone. The lesion showed partial remission.