Plasmablastic lymphomas may occur as post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders

Aims: To describe four cases of plasmablastic lymphoma arising in the unusual setting of a post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). Methods and results: Four cases were encountered over 2 years in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients following renal, heart or bone marrow transplantation. The cases were routinely processed and immunohistochemistry was performed. The cases showed blastic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma morphology and plasma cell-like immunophenotypic features: minimal or absent expression of leucocyte common antigen and CD20, variable CD79a and VS38 positivity. Monoclonal light chain restriction was also detected. Conclusions: The emphasis of this paper is to document further the occurrence of plasmablastic lymphomas in HIV- individuals and to expand the spectrum of PTLD.