Aqueous, Glutinous, Cavitary: Primary Effusion Lymphoma

Primary effusion lymphoma (formerly known as body cavity lymphoma), is an infrequent, aggressive B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The human herpes virus 8 (HHV8) or the Kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpes virus (KSHV) may be the potential determinant of the malignancy [1]. The viral genesis was determined in conjunction with the Kaposi’s sarcoma secondary to the human immune deficiency (HIV) virus and autoimmune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in 1994 and to the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1995 [1,2]. Subsequently, the world health organization designated the primary effusion lymphoma as a singular, independent neoplasm in 2001 [3]. An estimated 4% of the HIV related non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and 1% of the non-viralHIV related non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma may be constituted by PEL [4].