title: Association of Epstein-Barr virus genome with mixed cellularity and cellular phase nodular sclerosis Hodgkin's disease subtypes.
abstract: Association of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome with Hodgkin's disease (HD) histological subtypes was investigated using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A highly significant association of EBV genome with the mixed cellularity (MC) subtype (10 positive out of 15 cases; 66%) was observed, suggesting a possible etiopathogenetic role of EBV in the induction of this subset. By contrast, a markedly lower frequency of association with EBV genome was found in nodular sclerosis (NS) (12 positive out of 46 cases; 26%) and in nodular lymphocytic predominance (NLP) (0 positive out of 5 cases) HD subtypes. In addition, in the NS series, the presence of EBV genome was mainly restricted to the 'cellular phase' NS subset. This finding strengthens the possibility, suggested by clinico-pathological features and survival rates, that 'cellular phase NS' is a disease more akin to MC than to typical NS HD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boiocchi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Re
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dolcetti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carbone
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scarpa
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Menestrina
mesh_terms: D016679:Genome, Viral; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012598:Sclerosis