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High incidence of EBV genome in CD30‐positive non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas
Author(s) -
Kanavaros P.,
Jiwa N. M.,
De Bruin P. C.,
Valk P. Van Der,
Noorduyn L. A.,
Van Heerde P.,
Gordijn R.,
Horstman A.,
Mullink R.,
Willemze R.,
Walboomers J. M. M.,
Meijer C. J. L. M.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.1711680311
Subject(s) - cd30 , lymphoma , immunohistochemistry , pathology , epstein–barr virus , biology , polymerase chain reaction , lymph , reed–sternberg cell , virus , virology , medicine , gene , genetics , hodgkin lymphoma
In Hodgkin's disease, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is found in CD30‐positive Reed–Sternberg cells. We therefore studied 60 CD30‐positive non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) for the presence of EBV by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA in situ hybridization (DISH), and by immunohistochemistry for the latent EBV proteins LMP and EBNA‐2. CD30‐negative NHLs and reactive lymph nodes served as controls. The CD30‐positive cases comprised 17 anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCLs) (> 75 per cent CD30‐positive cells) and 43 non‐ALCLs (with 5–35 per cent CD30‐positive cells). By PCR, 40 of 60 CD30‐positive NHLs (67 per cent) were EBV‐positive; in CD30‐negative cases, 6/29 (21 per cent) were EBV‐positive, as were 12/50 (24 per cent) reactive lymph nodes. The DISH procedure demonstrated the EBV genome exclusively in the nuclei of tumour cells in 23 of the 37 PCR EBV‐positive cases that were tested. PCR‐negative cases were always DISH‐negative, as were the PCR‐positive reactive lymph nodes and CD30‐negative NHLs. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated LMP in neoplastic cells of 7/47 (15 per cent) CD30‐positive NHLs, both ALCL and non‐ALCL always in PCR EBV‐positive cases, but never in the two control groups. EBNA‐2 staining could not be detected. It is concluded that EBV is present (and transcriptionally active) in a sizeable number of NHLs and an association between the presence of the EBV genome and CD30 expression seems likely.