Human immunodeficiency virus associated lymphoma

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is known to be associated with an increased risk of systemic nonHodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, and primary central nervous lymphoma (PCNSL). The purpose of this review is to highlight recent advances in the diagnosis and management of lymphoma occurring in patients with HIV infection. RECENT FINDINGS: Lymphoma occurring in patients with HIV infection has been associated with a very poor prognosis. Recently reported studies have provided new information regarding the influence of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the development and clinical presentation of lymphoma, the feasibility of combining HAART with standard chemotherapy, the molecular classification of lymphoma, the role of rituximab in the management of lymphoma, and the use of novel treatment strategies for the treatment of Hodgkin disease. SUMMARY: The improved prognosis for patients with HIV-associated lymphoma in the post-HAART era indicates that therapeutic interventions may be potentially curative, and represent a shift away from therapeutic nihilism and reduced-intensity treatment approaches that have been employed in the recent past.