Plasmablastic Lymphoma in HIV-Positive Patients: A Literature Review and Results of a Russian Multi-Center Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background. Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a rare lympho-proliferative disease which is almost exclusively associated with immunodeficiency. Most ample experience of chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (HSCT) in this lymphoma variant has been accumulated in HIV-positive patients. Aim. To describe the current approaches to PBL diagnosis and treatment in HIV-positive patients as well as to provide the results of the first multi-center retrospective study on PBL epidemiology and therapy efficacy in HIV-positive patients in the Russian Federation. Materials & Methods. The study included 26 HIV-positive patients with PBL who were treated and followed-up at 5 Russian centers during 2012-2019. The present study is a part of multi-center retrospective study on lymphoma epidemiology in HIV-positive patients in Russia. Results. PBL accounted for 9.5 % of all lymphomas in HIV-positive patients enrolled in multi-center retrospective study on lymphoma epidemiology in HIV-positive patients in Russia. Epidemiological characteristics of these patients corresponded to those described in previously published literature: the disease being diagnosed mainly at late stages (88 %), oral and nasal mucosa lesions with a common involvement of facial bones (65 %), and lack of optimal HIV-infection control (66.7 %). Most commonly, the patients received EPOCH-like treatment as first-line therapy (50 %). However, the efficacy of primary therapy appeared to be low. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) during a year after first-line therapy onset was 57 % and 46 %, respectively. Bortezomib included in first-line therapy was associated with a trend to a more favorable prognosis. Half of patients showed a lymphoma relapse or progression after first-line therapy. Most used second-line regimen was DHAP. Overall response to second-line therapy was 38.5 %. After second-line therapy onset, 1-year OS and PFS were 26 % and 15 %, respectively. Conclusion. HIV-positive patients with PBL have poor prognosis. Efforts to improve the prognosis for HIV-positive patients with PBL should be aimed at increasing the efficacy of first-line therapy and should involve the use of intensive chemotherapy regimens with bortezomib. The role of auto-and allo-HSCTs in the treatment of PBL has not been clearly determined, however, PBL patients, despite their HIV-infec-tion, should be regarded as auto-HSCT-eligible in the first remission and allo-HSCT-eligible in case of relapse. Further prospective multi-center studies are needed to optimize the treatment of HIV-positive patients with PBL.