title: Senile Epstein-Barr virus-associated B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders: a mini review.
abstract: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with a number of malignant lymphomas, including Burkitt lymphomas, Hodgkin lymphomas (HLS), immunodeficiency-associated lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs), and subset of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. We have recently identified a series of elderly patients afflicted with EBV-associated (EBV-positive) B-cell LPDs in the absence of predisposing immunodeficiencies ; we have named these neoplasms "senile" EBV+ B-cell LPDs. The large series of patients with this disease (n=76) provided additional evidence that this neoplasia, with a median age of onset of 71 years, has the highest incidence in elderly patients aged >50 years, suggesting that this disease may be related to the immunological deterioration that occurs during the aging process. These lesions were pathologically characterized by varying numbers of Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS)-like giant cells, often posing a diagnostic problem differentiating this condition from HL. Recent studies, however, have indicated that HL and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) may be more closely related than previously implied, promoting the general consensus that HRS cells are derived from B cells in most HL cases. The relationship between EBV+ HL and EBV+ B-cell LPDs remains to be clarified. This review provides a unique opportunity to highlight the gray areas between EBV+ HL and EBV+ B-cell LPDs. Further investigations are necessary to clarify the interrelationship, including their overlapping morphological and biological features.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Clinical Laboratories, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimoyama
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oyama
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oshiro
authors.forename: Ritsuro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yoshitoyo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kagami
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morishima
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human; D006801:Humans; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008875:Middle Aged