However, the phenotype and clinical significance of programmed cell death 1 (PD‐1) and its ligands, PD‐L1 and PD‐L2, in aggressive acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)‐related non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (AR‐NHL) remain poorly understood, particularly in the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)‐positive subset. Here, PDCD1 is linked to AIDS.