Plasma Epstein-Barr viral load measurement as a diagnostic marker of lymphoma in HIV-infected patients.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the use of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viral load as a marker for lymphoma diagnosis in HIV-infected patients. We also aimed to identify the relationship between EBV viral load in plasma and the presence of EBV in lymphoma cells.


METHODS
Retrospective observational study of two HIV-infected populations: one of patients diagnosed with lymphoma and a control group. Thirty-nine patients with AIDS-related lymphoma (ARL) (32 non-Hodgkin's and 7 Hodgkin's lymphomas) and 134 HIV-positive individuals without neoplasia or opportunistic infections were studied. Blood samples were collected before lymphoma treatment in ARL patients. EBV viral load was measured in plasma by real-time quantitative PCR and the presence of EBV-EBER mRNA in lymphoma tumor was investigated by in situ hybridization.


RESULTS
Patients with ARL had higher EBV viral loads than those without lymphoma: 24,180.5 (±73,387.6)copies/mL versus 2.6 (±21.6)copies/mL (p<0.001). HIV-infected patients without lymphoma had negative or very low EBV load values. Among ARL patients, no correlation was found between EBV viral loads and CD4+ lymphocyte counts or between EBV and HIV RNA loads, or any other clinical or biological parameter. Cases with an EBV-EBER-positive lymphoma had higher EBV viral loads than those with EBER-negative tumors.


CONCLUSIONS
EBV viral load is a useful marker of lymphoma in HIV-infected patients, and may be a useful tool for early diagnosis and treatment.
Navarro
José-Tomás
JT
Department of Hematology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. jnavarro@iconcologia.net
Hernández
Agueda
A
Rodríguez-Manzano
Jesús
J
Mate
José-Luis
JL
Grau
Javier
J
Morgades
Mireia
M
Martró
Elisa
E
Tural
Cristina
C
Ribera
Josep-Maria
JM
Matas
Lurdes
L
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human; D006801:Humans; D016483:Lymphoma, AIDS-Related / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019562:Viral Load
D015415:Biomarkers