Immunoblastic lymphoma in persons with AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma: a role for Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus.
Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, the viral agent of Kaposi's sarcoma, is associated with two lymphoproliferative disorders: primary effusion lymphoma and multicentric Castleman's disease. To identify other lymphoproliferative conditions linked with Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, we studied non-Hodgkin's lymphomas arising in individuals with AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma. Formalin-fixed tissues from 24 such lymphomas were examined. As expected, two primary effusion lymphomas were Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-positive, with immunohistochemistry demonstrating the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus latency-associated nuclear antigen in the nuclei of all neoplastic cells. Additionally, three of seven evaluable cases of the immunoblastic variant of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (immunoblastic lymphoma) showed similar latency-associated nuclear antigen staining. These Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-positive immunoblastic lymphomas resembled primary effusion lymphoma histologically but were not known to involve body cavities (sites included lymph nodes, soft tissues of the neck, and spleen). Notably, 5-20% of the neoplastic cells in the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-positive immunoblastic lymphomas also showed cytoplasmic staining for viral interleukin-6, a biologically active cytokine homologue found in primary effusion lymphoma. We conclude that Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus is present in some immunoblastic lymphomas in persons with AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma.
Engels
Eric A
EA
Viral Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer and Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland 20892, USA. engelse@exchange.nih.gov
Pittaluga
Stefania
S
Whitby
Denise
D
Rabkin
Charles
C
Aoki
Yoshiyasu
Y
Jaffe
Elaine S
ES
Goedert
James J
JJ
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000032:analysis; D016400:Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Immunoblastic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000032:analysis
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014764:Viral Proteins