CASE REPORT Primary pleural lymphomas

P leural disease in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is well documented and commonly presents with pleural effusions in 20% of patients. However, solid pleural involvement is less common and is usually a secondary event. Primary pleural lymphomas are extremely rare and, in a series reported by Burgener and Hamlin, pleural plaques were seen in less then 4% of cases. Two types of primary pleural lymphomas have been described—the body cavity based lymphoma in patients with HIV and the pyothorax associated pleural lymphoma in those with tuberculosis. Primary pleural non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in an immunocompetent patient without a history of chronic pyothorax is extremely rare.