HIV-related Hodgkin's disease. Report of nine cases.

BACKGROUND: The association between lymphoproliferative disease and AIDS is now well known, but only non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (LNH) are surely related to HIV infection. Hodgkin's disease (HD) occurs rarely in HIV seropositives, so it is impossible to establish a connection between AIDS and this neoplasm. METHODS AND RESULT: We describe nine cases of HIV seropositive patients who developed HD in different stages of the HIV infection. We carefully examine clinical course and response to therapy in these patients, above all paying attention to opportunistic infections (OI) and progression to full-blown AIDS. CONCLUSION: Finally, we discuss the possibility of including HD among the definition criteria for AIDS.