The clinical significance of Epstein-Barr virus DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the clinical significance of EBV DNA in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from the patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Newly diagnosed patients with NHL were enrolled in the study (n = 328), and clinical data retrospectively analyzed. EBV DNA was detectable in 34.8% of patients, and the positivity rate was 51.6% for T/NK cell subtype and 24.3% for B cell subtype (p < .001). In diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL), peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise classified (PTCL.NOS), or angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma (AITL), positive EBV DNA before treatment was associated with more risk factors with prognostic significance, including older age, advanced stage, extranodal involvement, bone marrow infiltration, elevated LDH, and B symptoms, and with poor prognosis.

Keywords:

• Epstein-Barr virus
• non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• clinical features
• prognosis

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to all those who helped during this study. This study was supported by National and Fujian Provincial Key Clinical Specialty Discipline Construction Program, China, National High Technology Research and Development Program of China, 863 program (2012AA02A505), National Public Health Grand Research Foundation (201202017), Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory Foundation of Hematology (2009J1004). The authors wish to thank Dr. Martine Torres for her editorial assistance.

Potential conflict of interest

Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10428194.2017.1300894.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by National and Fujian Provincial Key Clinical Specialty Discipline Construction Program, China, National High Technology Research and Development Program of China, 863 program (2012AA02A505), National Public Health Grand Research Foundation (201202017), Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory Foundation of Hematology (2009J1004).