Primary effusion lymphoma with B-cell phenotype

We describe here a case of primary effusion lymphoma that occurred in a 78- year-old woman. She was successively treated with prednisolone but died 15 months after the diagnosis of primary effusion lymphoma. The immunohistoche mistry revealed the neoplastic cells to be CD19(+), CD20(+), CD21(+), Sm-lg (+), and HLA-DR+. This patient exhibited clonal IgH and clonal kappa light chain gene rearrangement, indicating a B-cell origin. The present case was distinguished from the majority cases of HHV-8-positive primary effusion ly mphoma, Here we present clinical details of response to therapy in this cas e. Am. J, Hematol, 64:317-318, 2000, (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.