Primary Epstein-Barr virus-related non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the pleural cavity following long-standing tuberculous empyema.

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the pleural cavity have been described mostly in Japan. We report a case of high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (immunoblastic type) of the pleural cavity occurring in a nonimmunocompromised patient 55 years after an artificial pneumothorax was performed for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. Immunohistochemical study revealed a B phenotype (CD20), and an in situ hybridization detected small nuclear RNAs encoded by Epstein-Barr virus in most lymphomatous cells. A link between primary pleural lymphoma and the local long-standing chronic inflammation, inducing a clonal transformation of Epstein-Barr virus-infected immortalized B lymphocytes, is suspected.