![Sample our Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5944/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Medicine-Dentistry-Nursing-Allied-Health.jpg"})
Abstract
The immunological status of patients with Epstein–Barr virus-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (EBV+ DLBCL) without obvious immunodeficiency has not been elucidated. A multicenter prospective study was conducted to assess pretreatment T-cell responses to EBV, EBV-DNA load and anti-EBV antibody in these patients. The proliferative and interferon (IFN)-γ-producing capacity of T-cells in response to autologous B-lymphoblastoid cell lines was determined using carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE)-based assay. Frequencies of EBV-specific CD4+ T-cells in patients with EBV+ DLBCL (n = 13) were significantly higher than in healthy controls (HCs) (n = 16) after both ex vivo and in vitro stimulation. Frequencies of EBV-specific CD8+ T-cells in patients with EBV+ DLBCL tended to be higher than in HCs after in vitro stimulation. Patients with EBV+ DLBCL also showed increased immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses to lytic EBV-encoded antigens. Pretreatment plasma EBV-DNA level was significantly higher in patients with EBV+ DLBCL than in patients with EBV− DLBCL or HCs. In conclusion, EBV-specific T-cells showed increased reactivity, accompanied by higher levels of plasma virus DNA in patients with EBV+ DLBCL.
Acknowledgements
We thank all doctors of the participating hospitals who contributed data to this publication, and Ms. Mako Hagino for technical assistance. We are grateful for the support of the following agencies: Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan (Clinical Cancer Research H22-029) and Fujita Health University (SaM).
Potential conflict of interest
Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article at www.informahealthcare.com/lal.