Epstein-Barr virus-related oral T-cell lymphoma associated with human
immunodeficiency virus immunosuppression
JA Thomas, F Cotter, AM Hanby, LQ Long, PR Morgan, B Bramble and BM Bailey
Department of Clinical Sciences, London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine, UK.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is generally held to infect B cells and epithelial
cells, although there are now reports of EBV infection in normal T cells
and neoplastic T-cell diseases. In patients with human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) infection, EBV is associated with the benign epithelial lesion,
hairy leukoplakia, and has been reported in up to 80% of acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related B-cell lymphoma. This study shows
the presence of EBV in malignant oral T-cell lymphoma in three AIDS
patients, two of whom had concurrent manifestation of hairy leukoplakia.
The T-cell lineage of the tumor cells was determined by positive
immunophenotyping for T-cell markers and lack of B-cell or nonhematopoietic
(cytokeratin) determinants. All tumors contained monoclonal T-cell
populations shown by polymerase chain reaction, which showed amplification
of T-cell receptor gamma chain DNA without evidence of Ig heavy chain gene
rearrangement. Furthermore, these lesions showed the presence of EBV DNA
and expression of EBV latent gene products in the tumor cells. EBV
involvement in AIDS-related T-cell lymphoma has not been widely reported
and may represent a further manifestation of opportunistic EBV infection
arising in the HIV-immunocompromised host.
Volume 81,
Issue 12,
pp. 3350-3356,
06/15/1993
Copyright © 1993 by The American Society of Hematology
