Treatment of AIDS-associated non-Hodgkin lymphoma poses a complex and multifaceted challenge for the physician. Treatment responses to cytotoxic chemotherapy are relatively poor, relapse rates are high, and AIDS progression continues to be a major concern in patients receiving dose-intensive antilymphoma therapy. The recent advances in anti-HIV therapy have not seen a clear counterpart in improved antilymphoma therapy, but trials are underway that may help move this field forward. For patients who achieve a complete and durable response to antilymphoma therapy, potent antiretroviral therapy may help improve the prognosis from AIDS progression. Major questions persist, however, on the role of chemotherapy dose intensity, the best use of antiretroviral therapy during the administration of lymphoma therapy, and the optimal design of studies that can address these questions.