Pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma in 2 South American series: a distinctive epidemiologic pattern and lack of association of Epstein-Barr virus with clinical outcome.
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) shows a bimodal distribution with a first peak in developing countries during childhood. The causative role and prognostic significance of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) association in patients with HL is controversial. Our aim was to perform a comparative study of EBV association in 2 Latin American pediatric HL series, and to correlate it with patient's survival. Epstein-Barr encoded RNAs in situ hybridization and latent membrane protein 1 immunohistochemistry were performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded HL biopsies from 176 pediatric patients from 2 public institutions from Argentina and Southeast Brazil. Mixed cellularity subtype was prevalent in Argentine HL (Arg HL) (52%) and nodular sclerosis subtype in Brazilian HL (BR HL) (83%). EBV expression was detected in 52% of cases, namely 54% Arg HL and 48% Br HL. EBV was significantly associated with mixed cellularity subtype in both populations. In Arg HL, EBV positivity was significantly higher in patients<or=10 years (P=0.0011). Event-free survival did not attain statistical significance neither in Arg HL (P=0.5317), nor in Br HL (P=0.8321). Our results do not support EBV association stated for pediatric HL in developing countries. Correlation of younger age with EBV infection only in Argentine patients might be related to a different age background. In our pediatric series, EBV status cannot be used as prognostic factor.
Chabay
Paola A
PA
Molecular Biology Laboratory, Pathology Service, Hospital de Niños Ricardo Gutiérrez, Buenos Aires, Argentina. paola_chabay@yahoo.com.ar
Barros
Mário H M
MH
Hassan
Rocío
R
De Matteo
Elena
E
Rey
Guadalupe
G
Carrico
Maria Kadma
MK
Renault
Ilana Zalcberg
IZ
Preciado
María Victoria
MV
D000293:Adolescent; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D001706:Biopsy; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome