title: Opportunistic cancers in patients with immunodeficiency syndromes.
abstract: Patients with inherited or acquired immunodeficiency disorders are vulnerable to a broad spectrum of opportunistic infectious diseases, but a narrow spectrum of malignancies. These malignancies--B-cell lymphomas, Kaposi's sarcomas, and squamous cell carcinomas--are likely due to failure of immune surveillance to recognize virally transformed target cells. The evidence for this hypothesis is substantial regarding Epstein-Barr virus-induced lymphoproliferative lesions in immunodeficient patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha 68105-1065.
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Purtilo
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D007157:Immunologic Surveillance; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000209:etiology; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000209:etiology