Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hematopathology
Online ISSN : 1880-9952
Print ISSN : 1346-4280
ISSN-L : 1346-4280
Review Article
Senile Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated B-Cell Lymphoproliferative Disorders : A Mini Review
Yoshie ShimoyamaTakashi OyamaNaoko AsanoAya OshiroRitsuro SuzukiYoshitoyo KagamiYasuo MorishimaShigeo Nakamura
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2006 Volume 46 Issue 1 Pages 1-4

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Abstract

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with a number of malignant lymphomas, including Burkitt lymphomas, Hodgkin lymphomas (HLS), immunodeficiency-associated lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs), and subset of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. We have recently identified a series of elderly patients afflicted with EBV-associated (EBV-positive) B-cell LPDs in the absence of predisposing immunodeficiencies ; we have named these neoplasms “senile” EBV+ B-cell LPDs. The large series of patients with this disease (n=76) provided additional evidence that this neoplasia, with a median age of onset of 71 years, has the highest incidence in elderly patients aged > 50 years, suggesting that this disease may be related to the immunological deterioration that occurs during the aging process. These lesions were pathologically characterized by varying numbers of Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS)-like giant cells, often posing a diagnostic problem differentiating this condition from HL. Recent studies, however, have indicated that HL and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) may be more closely related than previously implied, promoting the general consensus that HRS cells are derived from B cells in most HL cases. The relationship between EBV+ HL and EBV+ B-cell LPDs remains to be clarified. This review provides a unique opportunity to highlight the gray areas between EBV+ HL and EBV+ B-cell LPDs. Further investigations are necessary to clarify the interrelationship, including their overlapping morphological and biological features.

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© 2006 by The Japanese Society for Lymphoreticular Tissue Research
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