Viruses and lymphoma/leukaemia

The effect of atopy, childhood crowding, and other immune-related factors on non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk

OBJECTIVE

Since adult immune responsiveness is influenced by early childhood exposures, we examined the role of family size, history of atopic disease, and other childhood immune-related exposures in a multi-center case-control study of NHL.

METHODS

Interviews were completed with 1,321 cases ascertained from population-based cancer registries in Seattle, Detroit, Los Angeles and Iowa, and with 1,057 frequency-matched controls, selected by random-digit dialing and from the Medicare files database. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate risk.

RESULTS

A history of any allergy (excluding drug allergies), decreased risk of all NHL (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.7, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 0.6-1.0), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma [DLBCL] (OR = 0.6, 95% CI = 0.4-0.9), and follicular NHL (OR = 0.7, 95 CI = 0.5, 1.0). A similar effect was observed for hay fever. A history of eczema was associated with an increased risk of follicular lymphoma (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.1-3.4), but not DLBCL (OR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.6-2.0). Asthma did not affect risk. Youngest compared to oldest siblings had a 90% increased risk of DLBCL (95% CI = 1.2-3.1; p for trend with increasing birth order = 0.006), but not follicular lymphoma (OR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.6-1.8).

CONCLUSIONS

We infer that some childhood and immune-related factors may alter NHL risk.

The emerging concept of antigen-driven lymphomas: epidemiology and treatment implications

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Dramatic increases in the incidence of lymphomas worldwide have stimulated considerable efforts to identify factors that contribute to the etiology of this heterogeneous group of malignancies. The treatment and, ultimately, the prevention of lymphoma depend on our understanding of the complex interaction of exogenous agents with the molecular milieu which initiates and sustains a lymphoid malignancy. This review discusses the current evidence for the role of foreign or self antigens in the initiation of lymphomagenesis.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent data have demonstrated an increased risk of lymphoma among individuals with chronic inflammatory conditions, persistent infections or immunodeficient states. Common to these clinical conditions is antigenic stimulation leading to an inflammatory cascade of cellular and cytokine reactions that may tax the host immune response, provoke tissue injury and eventually result in lymphoid neoplasia.

SUMMARY

Efforts to detect and suppress chronic, antigen-driven inflammation have suggested that neoplastic progression may often be interrupted and controlled. Elucidation of the etiologic mechanisms critical to the survival of these malignancies would provide promising alternatives for the prevention and treatment of some lymphomas.

Denis Burkitt and his contribution to haematology/oncology

Denis Burkitt was motivated by Christian Evangelism from his early years. It was a critical factor not only in his personal development and decision to work in Uganda, but also in his medical achievements. The events in his life which led to his description of Burkitt lymphoma in 1958 are described together with his discovery of the endemic nature of the condition and its treatment. His research on the aetiology of the condition is also described. The endemic form of the lymphoma is still a major cause of childhood mortality in Africa due to a lack of basic resources to treat the condition. Burkitt Lymphoma has been used as a model to advance research and treatment on a wide range of conditions in haematology and oncology. Burkitt's work in later life on dietary fibre and its implications are summarised.

Infection and disease: cause and cure

Much can be learnt about the mechanisms by which micro‐organisms cause disease from the ways that they interact with cells and tissues. This issue of The Journal of Pathology contains articles that address the roles that cell and tissue biology and pathology are playing in the elucidation of these mechanisms. A review of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease is followed by a discussion of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Two articles on human papillomavirus (HPV) infection address the association between viral infection and neoplasia, as do reviews on viruses and lymphoma/leukaemia, and Kaposi's sarcoma‐associated herpesvirus (human herpesvirus 8, HHV8). The section on viral disease concludes with an article on morbilliviruses. The intracellular effects of bacteria are addressed in a review of Listeria infection and a further review outlines recent advances in our knowledge of syphilis. Reviews on Helicobacter and gastric neoplasia, innate defences against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, and the function of granulomas in tuberculosis also address aspects of tissue responses to bacterial infection. Following a review of the function of immunoglobulin A in defence against infection, a group of articles considers vaccination and gene therapy approaches, the latter involving consideration of both viral and bacterial strategies. The reviews assembled here bridge several gaps: between microbiology and cellular pathology; between host and infecting organism; and between disease and therapy. It is clear that cell and tissue pathology approaches are of value in all of these spheres, providing cell and tissue relevance to microbiological and immunological observations. Copyright © 2006 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.