title: The Role of EBV in the Pathogenesis of Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma.
abstract: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is a common feature of B cell lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs), including diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Approximately 10 % of DLBCLs are EBV-positive, with the highest incidence in immunocompromised and elderly patients. Here, we review the clinical, genetic, and pathologic characteristics of DLBCL and discuss the molecular role of EBV in lymphoma tumorigenesis. Using EBV-positive DLBCL of the elderly as a model, we describe the key features of EBV-positive DLBCL. Studies of EBV-positive DLBCL of the elderly demonstrate that EBV-positive DLBCL has a distinct biology, related to both viral and host factors. The pathogenic mechanisms noted in EBV-positive DLBCL of the elderly, including enhanced NFκB activity, are likely to be a generalizable feature of EBV-positive DLBCL. Therefore, we review how this information might be used to target the EBV or its host response for the development of novel treatment strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology/Oncology, Duke University, DUMC Box 3841, Durham, NC, 27710, USA. jane.healy@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Jane A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Healy
authors.affiliation: Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, CIEMAS, 2177C, 101 Science Drive, Box 3382, Durham, NC, 27708, USA. sandeep.dave@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Sandeep S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Dave
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*