Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent membrane protein (LMP) in tumor cells of Hodgkin's disease in pediatric patients.

PRECIADO MV; DE MATTEO E; DIEZ B; GRINSTEIN S

MEDICAL AND PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY

Año: 1995 vol. 24 p. 1 - 5

0098-1532

Twenty-nine out of 31 consecutive pediatric patients with Hodgkin´s disease treated at our hospital from 1988 to 1992 were studied. The selection criterion was the availability of sufficient formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue for analysis. Patient age ranged from 3 to 15 years with a median age of 7 years. Lymph node biopsies were examined for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded latent membrane protein (LMP) in malignant cells by peroxidase immunolabeling. LMP positivity was present in 10/15 (67%) of mixed cellularity, 1/6 (17%) of lymphocyte predominance, 0/7 (0%) of nodular sclerosis, and 1/1 (100%) of lymphocyte depletion. Positive cases by age range were: 10/12 (83%) for 3-6 years and 2/17 (11%) for 7-15 years. The association between EBV and Hodgkin´s disease in children appeared to be more frequent in patients with mixed cellularity and those in the 3-6 age range, through examples of EBV-positive tumors were found in other histologic subtypes, stages and ages. Findings indicate that Hodgkin´s disease in children is at least as strongly linked to EBV as in adults. Furthermore, we suggest that the EBV is associated with a subgroup of patients which can be defined on the basis of the age at diagnosis.