Objective: To review the epidemiology, pathology, clinical features, prognostic factors, and treatment approaches of patients with AIDS-related lymphoma.
Data sources: Research studies and review articles.
Conclusion: Aggressive B-cell lymphoma has become one of the more common of the initial AIDS-defining illnesses in the United States. Median survival of affected patients has improved considerably with the use of highly active anti-retroviral therapy directed against human immunodeficiency virus, along with multi-agent chemotherapy, and outcome of such patients now approaches that of human immunodeficiency virus-negative patients with aggressive lymphoma.
Implications for nursing practice: Oncology nurses must be knowledgeable of AIDS-related lymphoma to provide supportive care to this patient population.