Victor Li1, Adrian B Levine2, Peter A Gooderham3, Stephen Yip2, Jason Chew4. 1. Department of Radiology, Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), Jim Pattison Pavilion, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Electronic address: vicwli@alumni.ubc.ca. 2. Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), Jim Pattison Pavilion, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 3. Department of Neurosurgery, Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), Jim Pattison Pavilion, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 4. Department of Radiology, Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), Jim Pattison Pavilion, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare malignancy that usually arises in the context of severe immunosuppression but has incompletely understood etiology, limiting effective treatments. CASE DESCRIPTION: We present the case of an 81-year-old immunocompetent man who developed a PCNSL in the right temporal lobe, at the site of a remote episode of herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis 8 years prior. There are numerous viruses with known oncogenic associations; however, to our knowledge, this is the first reported case of PCNSL with an antecedent HSV infection. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss this case in the context of our current understandings of the pathogenesis of HSV encephalitis and PCNSL and postulate mechanisms through which the 2 could be associated.
BACKGROUND:Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare malignancy that usually arises in the context of severe immunosuppression but has incompletely understood etiology, limiting effective treatments. CASE DESCRIPTION: We present the case of an 81-year-old immunocompetent man who developed a PCNSL in the right temporal lobe, at the site of a remote episode of herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis 8 years prior. There are numerous viruses with known oncogenic associations; however, to our knowledge, this is the first reported case of PCNSL with an antecedent HSV infection. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss this case in the context of our current understandings of the pathogenesis of HSV encephalitis and PCNSL and postulate mechanisms through which the 2 could be associated.