Detection of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genomes in the serum of patients with EBV-associated Hodgkin's disease.
DNA from malignant cells is present in the serum/plasma of cancer patients and DNA from this source is amenable to analysis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In the present study, we evaluated whether Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA is present in the serum of patients with EBV-associated Hodgkin's disease (HD). Using conventional PCR, EBV DNA was detected in serum from 30/33 patients with EBV-associated HD but in only 6/26 patients with non-EBV-associated disease (p < 0.001). Samples from healthy individuals were negative and only 5/12 infectious mononucleosis samples were positive. Real-time quantitative PCR was subsequently employed to determine the concentration of EBV DNA present in serum; among positive samples the level ranged from 1 to 705 copies per 125 microliter of serum. Post-treatment samples from 5/14 cases with EBV-associated HD contained detectable EBV DNA; analysis of this small group of cases suggests that positivity in post-treatment samples correlates with risk factors indicative of a poor prognosis. Overall, our results are consistent with the notion that DNA from Reed-Sternberg cells is present in the serum of HD patients, and further suggest that serum EBV should be evaluated as a prognostic marker. Int. J. Cancer (Pred. Oncol.) 84:442-448, 1999.
Gallagher
A
A
LRF Virus Centre, Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Armstrong
A A
AA
MacKenzie
J
J
Shield
L
L
Khan
G
G
Lake
A
A
Proctor
S
S
Taylor
P
P
Clements
G B
GB
Jarrett
R F
RF
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D007244:Infectious Mononucleosis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016539:Reed-Sternberg Cells / Q000821:virology; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D007075:Immunoglobulin M