A 33 year old patient was admitted to the hospital because of deteriorated general condition, upper abdominal pain and progressive dyspnea. He had a positive HIV-serology associated with i.v. drug abuse. The CDC classification on admission was B1. There was no history of opportunistic infections, the patient had refused all prophylactic treatment. The physical examination showed an elevated central venous pressure, decreased breath-sound and percussible dullness, the liver was enlarged and a tumor was palpable on chest. The x-ray of the thorax confirmed a pleural effusion. Cytology of the effusion revealed blasts of malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of B-cell type. A CT-scan of the thorax and abdomen showed a tumor mass in the right ventricle and superior vena cava, a pleural effusion and multiple lesions in the liver. The patient refused a palliative chemotherapy with vincristine and prednisone and died few days after admission.