Epstein-Barr virus-associated T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is frequently detected in haematological malignancies, including Burkitt's lymphomas/leukaemias, Hodgkin's diseases and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. However, immature T-cell malignancies associated with EBV have not been reported previously. We report a patient with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL), whose leukaemic cells had EBV, confirmed by Southern blotting and in situ hybridization. The EBV existed in episomal form and was detected in most leukaemic cells, but not in bystander normal B-cells. The leukaemic cells, massively infiltrated into the liver and spleen, were resistant to chemotherapy. EBV might be associated with tumorigenesis of T-ALL, and characteristic clinical features of the patient.
Sakajiri
Sakura
S
Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Mori
Kiyoshi
K
Isobe
Yasushi
Y
Kawamata
Norihiko
N
Oshimi
Kazuo
K
D000328:Adult; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D017254:Leukemic Infiltration; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology