AIDS-related lymphoma. Histopathology, immunophenotype, and association with Epstein-Barr virus as demonstrated by in situ nucleic acid hybridization.
To investigate the range of pathology shown by acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related lymphomas arising in an epidemiologically well-defined group of patients, all cases of lymphoma recognized in Danish human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals up to the end of 1988 were studied. Twenty-seven cases (26 high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL], 1 Hodgkin's disease) were found, to give a cumulative incidence rate of 8% among Danish AIDS patients. Morphologically most NHL patients were classified into two groups: 1) high-grade tumors with a predominant population of immunoblasts, either monomorphic or more often polymorphic with plasmacytic differentiation; 2) Burkitt-type. Of 26 NHLs, 22 had a B-cell paraffin-section immunophenotype and 4 were non-B, non-T. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA was demonstrated in tumor cells of 12 of 24 cases (50%) using in situ nucleic acid hybridization with a 35S-labeled probe in paraffin sections. Epstein-Barr virus DNA was found in 65% of group 1 and 20% of group 2 tumors. This study suggests the existence of two main groups of AIDS-related lymphoma with different pathogeneses. First there are immunoblast-rich lesions, which usually are associated with EBV and morphologically resemble lymphomas described in immunosuppressed organ-transplantation patients. Second there are Burkitt-type tumors in which EBV sequences are less common and that may be pathogenetically analogous to sporadic Burkitt's lymphoma.
Hamilton-Dutoit
S J
SJ
Laboratory of Immunohistology, University Institute of Pathology, Aarhus Kommunehospital, Denmark.
Pallesen
G
G
Franzmann
M B
MB
Karkov
J
J
Black
F
F
Skinhøj
P
P
Pedersen
C
C
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010641:Phenotype