Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a patient with HIV-negative recurrent plasmablastic lymphoma: A case report

INTRODUCTION: No standard guideline has been established for the treatment of plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) and prognosis remains extremely poor, given that patients relapse early after chemotherapy and show resistance to commonly used cytostatic drugs. PATIENT CONCERNS: We present the case of a 52-year-old HIV-negative man who presented with a mass at the left sternoclavicular joint. He had no significant comorbidities and no latent immunosuppression. DIAGNOSIS: The largest lymph node measured was 36 × 19 mm. An excisional biopsy showed diffuse proliferation of large lymphoid cells which were positive for CD38 and CD138, but negative for CD20. He was diagnosed with stage IV PBL with a low IPI. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was treated with four cycles of induction therapy with bortezomib, epirubicin and dexamethasone. He achieved complete remission. But 3 months after receiving consolidated autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, he relapsed. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was performed on the patient. OUTCOMES: The patient achieved remission again and there were no serious complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This patient was followed up once every three months, and to date, he has been disease-free for more than 4 years. CONCLUSION: The survival of recurrent PBL after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is very poor. Salvage allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may bring long-term survival opportunities for those patients. Further clinical studies are needed to explore the role of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in refractory and recurrent PBL.