Pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma in two South American series: a distinctive epidemiological pattern and lack of association of Epstein-Barr virus with clinical outcome

PAOLA ANDREA CHABAY; MAGALHÃES BARROS, M; HASSAN, R.; DE MATTEO E; REY G; CARRICO MK; ZALCBERG, I.; PRECIADO MV

JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGY ONCOLOGY

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Año: 2008 vol. 30 p. 285 - 291

1077-4114

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) shows a bimodal distribution with a first peak in developing countries during childhood. The causative role and prognostic significance of Epstein Barr virus (EBV) association in patients with HL is controversial. Our aim was to perform a comparative study of EBV association in two Latin American pediatric HL series, and to correlate it with patient’s survival.  EBERs in situ hibridization and LMP1 immunohistochemistry were performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded HL biopsies from 176 pediatric patients from 2 public institutions from Argentina and Southeast Brazil. MC subtype was prevalent in Argentine HL (52%), and NS subtype in Brazilian HL (83%).  EBV expression was detected in 52% of cases, namely 54% Argentine HL and 48% Brazilian HL. EBV was significantly associated with MC subtype in both populations. In Argentine HL, EBV positivity was significantly higher in patients £10 years (p=0.0011). Event free survival did not attain statistical significance neither in Argentine HL (p=0.5317), nor in Brazilian HL (p=0.8321). Our results do not support EBV association stated for pediatric HL in developing countries. Correlation of younger age with EBV infection only in Argentine patients might be related to a different age background. In our pediatric series, EBV status cannot be used as prognostic factor.