Malignant Lymphoma Related to HIV Infection in Italy: A Report of 46 Cases

To the Editor.— Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of Burkitt's type is one of the earliest recognized manifestations of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). 1 Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of high-grade histology or of central nervous system origin occurring in seropositive patients are diagnostic of AIDS, according to the Centers for Disease Control definition, 2 even in the absence of opportunistic infections or Kaposi's sarcoma. Three large series 3-5 of AIDS-related NHLs, comprising 90, 30, and 27 patients, respectively, have been reported from the United States, with only sporadic cases being reported from Europe. 6-8 Most NHLs present with extranodal involvement and are correlated with a short survival time. Study.— Since November 1985, a cooperative study group has been established in Aviano and Turin, Italy, and is looking at the incidence and types of malignant lymphoma in persons at high risk for AIDS in Italy. In this country, 56% of the 617 total cases of