419
Views
54
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article: Clinical

Whole blood Epstein-Barr virus DNA load as a diagnostic and prognostic surrogate: extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma

, , , , , , , , , , MD, PhD, , & , MD, PhD show all
Pages 757-763 | Received 16 Dec 2008, Accepted 05 Feb 2009, Published online: 21 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

We investigated the value of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA load in unfractionated whole blood for the diagnosis and prognosis of EBV-associated lymphoma. From July 2004 to July 2007, we compared EBV DNA loads in 101 patients with lymphoma and 105 control individuals. The median copy number of EBV was higher in patients with EBV-positive lymphoma (p<0.001). In patients with natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphomas, the median EBV DNA load at presentation was significantly related to the stage (p = 0.011) and response (p = 0.026). The newly proposed classification model for NK/T cell lymphoma showed EBV DNA load differed significantly between patients with upper and extra-upper aerodigestive tracts (p = 0.017). In 16 patients with NK/T-cell lymphoma monitored serially, EBV DNA load correlated well with the treatment response and clinical course. Further prospective studies are required to evaluate the diagnosing and monitoring role of whole blood EBV DNA for uniformly treated patients.

Notes

There is an accompanying commentary that discusses this paper. Please refer to the issue Table of Contents.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.