Plasmablastic lymphoma: a case report

Abstract

A male patient presented at the University of Witwatersrand with a rapidly growing mass on the palate extending across to the buccal aspect. The growth had a history of three months and presented with symptoms of pain together with spontaneous bleeding. Examination revealed that the patient was a smoker and tested seropositive for HIV despite being unaware of the condition.Radiographic bone loss is evident on a panoramic radiograph and clinically corelated by grade three mobility of involved teeth. The biopsy revealed a definitive diagnosis of plasmablastic lymphoma which is linked to oncogenesis potential of Epstein Barr virus. Presented in this paper is a case study of an HIV positive male who developed plasmablastic lymphoma.