Meer S, et al. - Researchers examined a large single-center cohort of extraoral plasmablastic lymphoma (EPBL) in South Africa in order to determine the immunophenotype and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) status in these individuals. In this retrospective study of 45 EPBLs, they studied cases histologically, and classified them morphologically as pure plasmablastic or plasmablastic with plasmacytic differentiation, and assessed them immunohistochemically with antibodies against CD45, CD20, CD79a, PAX5, CD138, MUM1/IRF4, BLIMP1, VS38c, Ki67, bcl-6, CD10, cyclin D1, and human herpesvirus-8, by the use of standard automated procedures. Using chromogenic in-situ hybridization, the assessment of EBV was done. Based on findings, EPBLs were strongly associated with HIV and EBV infection, similar to the previously described oral plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL). PBL could be distinguished from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and plasma cell myeloma using the strong EBV association together with other clinicopathological parameters and an immunohistochemical profile that includes CD45, CD20, MUM1/IRF4, CD138, and Ki67.