Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after treatment of Hodgkin's disease: association with Epstein-Barr virus.
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma occurs infrequently as a late complication of obscure cause after treatment of Hodgkin's disease. We investigated the possible role of Epstein-Barr virus in the pathogenesis of such secondary malignancies of B-cell lineage. Two patients, aged 25 and 43 years, developed high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas 12 and 8 years after radiation therapy for Hodgkin's disease. Serologic profiles in these patients showed evidence of acute and past Epstein-Barr virus infections, respectively. Molecular hybridization analysis showed the presence of multiple cellular equivalents of virus genome in tumor specimens from each patient. Our findings suggest that Epstein-Barr virus may play an integral role in the pathogenesis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of B-cell lineage that develops after treatment of Hodgkin's disease.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005814:Genes, Viral; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000382:microbiology*; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000209:etiology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral