title: Variability of HHV8 LNA-1 Immunohistochemical Staining Across the 3 Histologic Stages of HIV-Associated Mucocutaneous Kaposi Sarcoma: Is There a Relationship to Patients' CD4 Counts?
abstract: The histologic diagnosis of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) can be confirmed with human herpes virus 8 (HHV8) latency-associated nuclear antigen (LNA)-1 immunohistochemistry, which may show variability in distribution and intensity. This retrospective study was aimed at addressing the factors that may contribute to this variability. All cases of mucocutaneous KS diagnosed in a 5-year period at the histopathology department at a tertiary hospital in South Africa with available patients' CD4 counts and HHV8 LNA-1 immunohistochemically stained slides were reviewed, and the biopsy stages of KS (patch/plaque/nodular), CD4 counts, immunohistochemistry staining method (manual vs. automated), and distribution (diffuse/focal) and intensity (strong/weak) of HHV8 LNA-1 staining were recorded. A total of 127 cases were reviewed. No relationship was demonstrated between the median CD4 count and the histologic stages of KS (P = 0.701) or the intensity and distribution of HHV8 immunohistochemical staining using either staining method. Multivariate analysis showed that method of immunohistochemical staining was a significant predictor of distribution (P = 0.006) and intensity (P = 0.044) of staining, and that stage was a significant predictor of distribution of staining (P = 0.033).
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, and National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Reena D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Mohanlal
authors.forename: Sugeshnee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pather
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications*; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; C118485:latent nuclear antigen (LNA)