A case of plasmablastic lymphoma of the maxillary gingiva in an elderly HIV-negative, EBV-negative patient

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a high-grade mature B-cell tumor with a rapid clinical course and poor prognosis.We reported a rare case of PBL arising in the maxillary gingiva of an elderly HIV-negative, EBV-negative patient.The patient, a 92-year-old woman, was referred to our department complaining of a maxillary gingival mass.She had been diagnosed with liver cancer after imaging studies at another hospital.Suspecting maxillary gingival metastasis of liver cancer, imaging and histopathologic examination revealed the diagnosis of PBL with systemic lesions.The patient was referred to our hematology department and given best supportive care due to her advanced age.She was treated with palliative irradiation and oral steroid therapy for her dysphagia due to the enlarged maxillary gingival mass and back pain.The maxillary gingival tumor shrank significantly and oral intake improved, but the patient died one month after the completion of palliative radiation therapy due to pleural effusion and acute renal failure caused by PBL.