Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative disease in non-immunocompromised hosts: a status report and summary of an international meeting, 8-9 September 2008

EBV-positive diffuse large B cell lymphoma secondary to activated phosphoinositide 3 kinase δ syndrome type 1 (APDS1): a case report and literature review

Activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ syndrome (APDS), an inborn error of immunity associated with gain-of-function mutations in the PIK3CD gene, is characterized by dysregulated PI3Kδ signaling. The clinical spectrum commonly includes recurrent respiratory infections and lymphoproliferative manifestations. We present an adolescent male with APDS1 manifesting recurrent sinopulmonary infections, generalized lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, gastrointestinal manifestations, and combined T-cell/B-cell lymphopenia, complicated by Epstein-Barr virus-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (EBV+ DLBCL). Whole-exome sequencing identified a heterozygous PIK3CD variant (c.3061G>A p.Glu1021Lys), supporting the molecular diagnosis of APDS1. This case adds to emerging evidence linking APDS1 with EBV-driven lymphomagenesis, thereby further supporting the critical role of PI3K δ pathway dysregulation in promoting EBV-associated lymphoid malignancies.

An exploratory study on the differential diagnostic indicators between adult systemic EBV-positive T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma with multiple EBV infections

BACKGROUND

The differential diagnosis between adult systemic EBV-positive T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (EBV+ T-LPD) and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) with multiple EBV infections is difficult, and distinguishing between the two has become a diagnostic challenge for pathologists. Given that the clinical treatment plans are different, an accurate diagnosis is a prerequisite to ensure effective treatment, therefore, it is extremely necessary and meaningful to find effective pathological indicators for distinguishing between two diseases.

METHODS

We present a retrospective study comparing 7 cases of adult EBV+ T-LPD and 16 cases of AITL with multiple EBV infections diagnosed at our institution from 2017 to 2022. Differences in immunophenotype, type of EBV-infected cells, clonality and gene mutations between the two groups of cases were compared by immunohistochemical staining, double-label staining, TCR gene rearrangement and next-generation sequencing analysis.

RESULTS

7 cases of adult EBV+ T-LPD: all cases had no more than 1 T follicular helper (THF) marker was expressed, and there were significantly more EBER+/CD3 + cells than EBER+/CD20 + cells; 5 cases had mutation detection results, in which only 1 had the characteristic KMT2D mutation, 2 had TET2 mutations, and no common mutations such as DDX3X were detected.16 cases of AITL with multiple EBV infections: all cases were found to express at least 2 TFH markers, with 87% of them expressing at least 3 TFH markers., and had significantly more EBER+/CD20 + cells than EBER+/CD3 + cells; 4 cases had mutation test results, with mutated high-frequency genes being TET2 (100%, and all of them had 2 or more TET2 mutations) and RHOA G17V (100%), DNMT3A mutation occurred in 2 cases (50%), and IDH2 R172 mutation occurred in 1 case (25%).

CONCLUSIONS

We found that the expression pattern of TFH markers, the types of cells predominantly infected by EBV and the different mutations can all be used as effective pathological indicators for distinguishing between two diseases.

Plasma Epstein-Barr Virus DNA load for diagnostic and prognostic assessment in intestinal Epstein-Barr Virus infection

Background

The prospective application of plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA load as a noninvasive measure of intestinal EBV infection remains unexplored. This study aims to identify ideal threshold levels for plasma EBV DNA loads in the diagnosis and outcome prediction of intestinal EBV infection, particularly in cases of primary intestinal lymphoproliferative diseases and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Methods

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were examined to determine suitable thresholds for plasma EBV DNA load in diagnosing intestinal EBV infection and predicting its prognosis.

Results

108 patients were retrospectively assigned to the test group, while 56 patients were included in the validation group. Plasma EBV DNA loads were significantly higher in the intestinal EBV infection group compared to the non-intestinal EBV infection group (Median: 2.02 × 102 copies/mL, interquartile range [IQR]: 5.49 × 101-6.34×103 copies/mL versus 4.2×101 copies/mL, IQR: 1.07 ×101-6.08×101 copies/mL; P < 0.0001). Plasma EBV DNA levels at 9.21×101 and 6.77×101 copies/mL proved beneficial for the identification and prognostication in intestinal EBV infection, respectively. Values of 0.82 and 0.71 were yielded by the area under the ROC curve (AUC) in the test cohort, corresponding to sensitivities of 84.38% (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 68.25%-93.14%) and 87.5% (95%CI: 69%-95.66%), specificities of 83.33% (95%CI: 64.15%-93.32%) and 68.09% (95%CI: 53.83%-79.6%), positive predictive values (PPV) of 87.1% (95%CI: 71.15%-94.87%) and 58.33% (95%CI: 42.2%-72.86%), and positive likelihood ratios (LR+) of 5.06 and 2.74 in the validation cohort, respectively. Furthermore, a plasma EBV DNA load of 5.4×102 copies/mL helped differentiate IBD with intestinal EBV infection from primary intestinal EBV-positive lymphoproliferative disorders (PIEBV+LPDs), achieving an AUC of 0.85 within the test cohort, as well as 85% sensitivity (95%CI: 63.96%-94.76%), 91.67% specificity (95%CI: 64.61%-99.57%), 94.44% PPV (95%CI: 74.24%-99.72%), and an LR+ of 10.2 in the validation cohort.

Conclusions

Plasma EBV DNA load demonstrates notable potential in distinguishing between different patient cohorts with intestinal EBV infection, although its sensitivity requires further optimization for clinical application.

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection mimicking tuberculosis - A diagnostic enigma

ABSTRACT

Chronic active EBV infection is a rare disorder prone for misdiagnosis. They present with a wide range of symptoms from indolent to aggressive clinical course. Clinico-pathological correlation with confirmation by ancillary techniques is inevitable to diagnose this disease. We present a case of a 29-year-old male with fever, weight loss, and lymphadenopathy for 6 months. Lymph node biopsy showed occasional granuloma with preserved architecture. Suspected to have tuberculosis, he received antitubercular treatment (ATT) with no response for 3 months. Subsequently, additional workup showed many EBV-positive cells in sinusoids with high serum EBV titer, confirming the difficult diagnosis of CAEBV. The present case highlights the difficulty in the diagnosis of this entity and also emphasizes the necessity to recognize this disorder in countries endemic for tuberculosis, as it is no longer bound by ethnicity and geographical boundaries.

MKAN-MMI: empowering traditional medicine-microbe interaction prediction with masked graph autoencoders and KANs

The growing microbial resistance to traditional medicines necessitates in-depth analysis of medicine-microbe interactions (MMIs) to develop new therapeutic strategies. Widely used artificial intelligence models are limited by sparse observational data and prevalent noise, leading to over-reliance on specific data for feature extraction and reduced generalization ability. To address these limitations, we integrate Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks (KANs), independent subspaces, and collaborative decoding techniques into the masked graph autoencoder (Mask GAE) framework, creating an innovative MMI prediction model with enhanced accuracy, generalization, and interpretability. First, we apply Bernoulli distribution to randomly mask parts of the medicine-microbe graph, advancing self-supervised training and reducing noise impact. Additionally, the independent subspace technique enables graph neural networks (GNNs) to learn weights independently across different feature subspaces, enhancing feature expression. Fusing the multi-layer outputs of GNNs effectively reduces information loss caused by masking. Moreover, using KANs for advanced nonlinear mapping enhances the learnability and interpretability of weights, deepening the understanding of complex MMIs. These measures significantly enhanced the accuracy, generalization, and interpretability of our model in MMI prediction tasks. We validated our model on three public datasets with results showing that our model outperformed existing leading models. The relevant data and code are publicly accessible at: https://github.com/zhuoninnin1992/MKAN-MMI.

A successful treatment for chronic active Epstein-Barr virus disease with Nephrotic Syndrome

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (CAEBV) disease is more likely to occur when a patient is on immunosuppressive therapy for any disease or is susceptible to infection, and the prognosis is poor without appropriate treatment, including hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In addition to HSCT, several other chemotherapy regimens have been reported, but all of them are difficult to maintain in remission. Without HSCT, survival rates have been reported to be 50% in 5 years and 25% in 15 years. This is a report of a 13-year-old boy who developed CAEBV disease during cyclosporine A (CyA) treatment for the steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS). Since SDNS precluded HSCT or chemotherapy, CyA was tapered off based on the belief that alleviating his immunosuppressed state would decrease the CAEBV disease. We decided to gradually reduce the CyA dose to activate T-cell immunity, while periodically monitoring the EBV viral load. Finally, we found an appropriate dose that could suppress both CAEBV disease and SDNS, and it lasted for more than 9 years. No case has been reported to date in which a patient developed CAEBV disease while receiving immunosuppressive drugs for the primary disease, and both diseases were controlled only by reducing the dose of immunosuppressive drugs. In this report, we show that dose reduction of immunosuppressive agents without chemotherapy or HSCT is an effective option for the treatment of CAEBV disease in patients receiving immunosuppressive agents.

Clinical characteristics and literature review of chronic active Epstein-Barr virus-associated enteritis

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection-associated enteritis (CAEAE) in nonimmunodeficient individuals is rare. To report a case of CAEAE, relevant articles were searched through databases. The clinical manifestations, endoscopic findings, strategies of treatment, prognoses, and follow-up results of CAEAE patients were analyzed. Including this report, seven citations in the literature provide descriptions of 27 cases of CAEAE. There were 21 males and six females, with a mean age of 40 years. The main clinical manifestations were fever (25/27), abdominal pain (14/27), diarrhea (16/27), hematochezia or bloody stools (13/27), and decreased hemoglobin and red blood cell counts in routine blood tests (14/27). Elevations in inflammatory markers, white blood cell (WBC) counts, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were common. Coagulation was often abnormal. Histopathology confirmed EBV-encoded small nuclear RNA (EBER) in the affected tissue via in situ hybridization. The average serum EBV DNA load was 6.3 × 10^5 copies/mL. All patients had varying degrees of intestinal ulcers endoscopically, and the ulcers and pathology were uncharacterized and misdiagnosed mostly as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The course of the disease was progressive and later complicated by intestinal bleeding, intestinal perforation, septic shock, and a high rate of emergency surgery. However, the conditions of the patients often did not improve after surgery, and some patients soon died due to reperforation or massive hematochezia. Hormone and antiviral treatment had no obvious effect. There was a significant difference in surgical and nonsurgical survival (p < 0.05). The proportion of patients who died within 6 months was as high as 63.6% (7/11). CAEAE belongs to a group of rare, difficult conditions, has an insidious clinical course, has a high case fatality rate, and may later develop into EBV-positive lymphoproliferative disorder (EBV-LPD), which in turn leads to carcinogenesis. Clinicians should raise awareness that in patients with multiple ulcers in the intestine of unknown etiology, attention should be paid to EBV serology, and histology to make the diagnosis as early as possible.

Impact of Hemoglobin Level, White Blood Cell Count, Renal Dysfunction, and Staphylococcus as the Causative Organism on Prediction of In-Hospital Mortality from Infective Endocarditis

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a highly fatal disease in cases of delayed diagnosis and treatment, although its incidence is low. However, there have been few single-center studies in which the risk of in-hospital death from IE was stratified according to laboratory findings on admission and the organism responsible for IE. In this study, a total of 162 patients who were admitted to our hospital during the period from 2009 to 2021, who were suspected of having IE according to the modified Duke classification, and for whom IE was confirmed by transesophageal echocardiography were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were observed for a mean-period of 43.7 days with the primary endpoint being in-hospital death. The in-hospital death group had a lower level of hemoglobin (Hb), higher white blood cell (WBC) count, lower level of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and higher frequency of Staphylococcus being the causative agent than those in the non-in-hospital death group. In overall multivariate analysis, Hb, WBC count, eGFR, and Staphylococcus as the causative agent were identified to be significant prognostic determinants. IE patients with Hb < 10.6 g/dL, WBC count > 1.4 × 104/μL, eGFR < 28.1 mL/minute/1.7 m2, and Staphylococcus as the causative agent had significantly and synergistically increased in-hospital death rates compared to those in other IE patients. Low level of Hb, high WBC count, low eGFR, and Staphylococcus as the causative agent of IE were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality, suggesting that these 4 parameters may be combined to additively stratify the risk of in-hospital mortality.

Updated guidelines for chronic active Epstein-Barr virus disease

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus disease (CAEBV), formerly named chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection, is characterized by systemic inflammation and clonal proliferation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected T or NK cells. As CAEBV is a potentially life-threatening illness, appropriate diagnosis and therapeutic interventions are necessary for favorable clinical outcomes. Substantial evidence regarding the pathogenesis and treatment of CAEBV has been accumulated since previous guidelines for the diagnosis of CAEBV were proposed. To reflect this evidence, we updated the guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of CAEBV to improve clinical management of the disease. The details of the updated guidelines are presented in this report. Diagnosis of CAEBV now requires confirmation of a high copy number of EBV genome and EBV-infected T or NK cells. An EBV DNA load ≥ 10,000 IU/mL in whole blood is proposed as the diagnostic cutoff value for CAEBV in this updated guideline. A standard treatment approach for CAEBV has not been established, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is considered the only curative treatment. Chemotherapy can be administered to control disease activity before HSCT.

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection as the basis of neoplasm development. Transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia to NK-cell lymphoma/leukaemia was observed by flow cytometry - a diagnostic report

The case report presents a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia that was diagnosed in 2006 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In September 2010, the patient was admitted to the Department of Haematology in Poland due to progression of the underlying disease. The clinical problem during treatment was the suspicion of Richter's transformation into another, more aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The diagnosis was based on the peripheral blood immunophenotype. The patient was diagnosed with an immunoglobulin deficiency. Unfortunately, repeated examinations did not confirm the transformation hypothesis, despite the increasing symptoms. The patient was treated with various therapeutic regimens until May 2021, when an increased number of NK cells was diagnosed in the peripheral blood. NK-cell lymphoproliferative disease was finally diagnosed de novo. Nevertheless, it was found that the patient had active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. The suspected NK-cell lymphoma/leukaemia was most likely a complication of the active EBV infection and severe immunodeficiency state.

CD137 deficiency because of two novel biallelic TNFRSF9 mutations in a patient presenting with severe EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disease

OBJECTIVES

Increasing evidence indicates that some germline genetic mutations that impair pathways required for robust host immune surveillance against EBV infection may result in an extremely high susceptibility to EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disease (EBV+ LPD). TNFRSF9 encodes a vital costimulatory molecule that enhances CD8+ T-cell proliferation, survival and cytolytic activity. To date, no relevant case resulting from TNFRSF9 heterozygous mutations has been identified.

METHODS

Here, we report the first case of CD137 deficiency caused by two novel biallelic heterozygous TNFRSF9 mutations [NM_001561.5: c.208 + 1->AT and c.452C>A (p.T151K)] in a patient presenting with severe EBV+ LPD. Immunophenotyping and in vitro assays of lymphocyte function and NK cell activity were performed.

RESULTS

Biallelic TNFRSF9 mutations resulted in markedly reduced or abrogated expression of CD137 on activated T, B and NK cells. CD8+ T cells from the patient had impaired activation, reduced expression/release of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), perforin and granzyme B, and diminished cytotoxic activity. Functional experiments identified both variations were hypomorphic mutations and played a contributing role in CD137 deficiency and the development of EBV+ LPD.

CONCLUSION

Our study expands the genetic spectrum and clinical phenotype of patients with CD137 deficiency and provides additional evidence that the TNFRSF9 gene plays a critical role in host immune responses to EBV infection.

Development of Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative disorder and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis during long-term lenalidomide maintenance therapy in multiple myeloma

Reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been considered a very rare event among patients on immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) such as lenalidomide, and an association between the two has not well been recognized. We have recently experienced a rare case of multiple myeloma in which the patient had suffered EBV reactivation during long-term lenalidomide maintenance therapy. The patient subsequently developed EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disease (LPD) as well as EBV-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH), which was fatal despite intensive treatment. Although rare, clinicians should be aware that such fatal EBV reactivation could occur as a minor yet critical complication of long-term maintenance therapy with IMiDs in multiple myeloma patients. Regular monitoring and early detection of EBV reactivation would be beneficial for these patients, so that proper diagnostic examinations can be initiated without delay.

A Lethal Manifestation of Chronic Active Epstein-Barr Virus Infection: A Case Report

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV) is a rare and lethal condition caused by persistent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Signs and symptoms of CAEBV infection include fever, lymphadenopathy, and hepatosplenomegaly. Due to life-threatening consequences such as multiple organ failure, hemophagocytic syndrome, EBV-positive lymphoproliferative illness, and coagulopathy, early identification is important for successful therapy. However, because of the wide range of clinical symptoms, it might be difficult to diagnose the disease due to limited clinical experience and a low number of reports. We report a case of CAEBV in a 59-year-old woman from Saudi Arabia. We present the hospital course of the patient from admission until the patient's death as well as the clinical and pathological findings with a review of the literature. This is a rare case of CAEBV in Saudi Arabia.

Massive pericardial effusion due to chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection successfully treated with PD-1 blockade: A case report

RATIONALE

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection (CAEBV) is a rare but life-threatening EBV-positive lymphoproliferative disorder. Currently, treatment options for CAEBV are limited. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is the only way to cure CAEBV. Here, we report a rare case of CAEBV manifesting as massive pericardial effusion that was successfully treated with programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) blockade immunotherapy.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 36-year-old woman with intermittent chest distress and dyspnea for 8 months was admitted to our center on October 25, 2021. Laboratory tests showed leukocytopenia and elevated liver enzyme levels. Initial echocardiography revealed massive pericardial effusion.

DIAGNOSIS

High levels of EBV-DNA were detected in the pericardial fluid by metagenomic next-generation sequencing. The pathological diagnosis of her left inguinal lymph node and skin lesions revealed systemic CAEBV.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient received sintilimab injection at a dose of 200 mg every 2 weeks in combined with lenalidomide 10 mg once daily.

OUTCOMES

The patient achieved complete resolution of pericardial effusion 5 months after PD-1 blockade immunotherapy without apparent adverse effects.

LESSONS

CAEBV is a rare but life-threatening EBV-positive lymphoproliferative disease. We present a rare case of massive pericardial effusion caused by systemic CAEBV, which was successfully treated with sintilimab. This case highlights the promising curative effect of PD-1 blockade immunotherapy in systemic CAEBV, especially for patients not suitable for allo-HSCT.

The superiority of Epstein-Barr virus DNA in plasma over in peripheral blood mononuclear cells for monitoring EBV-positive NK-cell lymphoproliferative diseases

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), characterized as an omnipresent virus, has been found able to infect NK cells and leads to NK-cell type EBV-positive lymphoproliferative diseases (EBV-NK-LPDs). We retrospective analysed 202 EBV-NK-LPDs (including 64 CAEBV-NK, 27 ANKL, and 111 ENKTL) patients' relationships between EBV DNA copies laboratory test results and clinical features. In CAEBV-NK cohort, EBV DNA loads in either plasma or PBMCs had significant differences between the active state and the inactive state. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to measure the diagnosis accuracy of EBV DNA copies. After comparing the area under the curve (AUC), EBV DNA loads in plasma had significantly higher accuracy in distinguishing disease activation than in PBMCs. Therefore, we propose redefining CAEBV-NK diagnosis criteria as increased EBV DNA copies in plasma (over 7.1×10² copies/ml) instead of in peripheral blood. In ANKL and ENKTL cohorts, patients who received effective therapy had significantly lower EBV DNA copies in plasma & PBMCs than in those with ineffective therapy. The significant and consistent decline indicated EBV DNA loads in plasma being a more sensitive biomarker in monitoring EBV-NK-LPDs therapy responses. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) can occur secondary to EBV-NK-LPDs, mostly associated with a poor prognosis, so we try to estimate the combination of HLH by monitoring EBV DNA copies. When comparing the ROC curves of EBV DNA copies, EBV DNA loads in plasma had higher diagnosis accuracy. When the copies level over 4.16×10³ copies/ml, it might indicate combining with HLH. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Pediatric EBV Positive Mucocutaneous Ulceration in Stomach a Rare Entity

Epstein Barr virus (EBV) related lymphoproliferative diseases may occur in immunocompromised patients or patients with a history of drug use causing immunodeficiency. EBV positive mucocutaneous ulceration in the new classification of lymphoproliferative diseases in 2016 is very rare in children. Involvement occurs in the skin, oral mucosa, and gastrointestinal system. Gastric involvement is very rare in the literature. There is no case of gastric involvement in children. There are no specified modalities in the treatment of EBV positive mucocutaneous ulceration. We presented our pediatric patient with ataxia telangiectasia who presented with abdominal pain and difficulty swallowing and diagnosed with EBV positive mucocutaneous ulceration in the stomach. We started brentuximab vedotin during the treatment process, and complete remission was achieved after 6 cures of treatment. Our patient is the first case of EBV positive mucocutaneous ulceration in the pediatric case series.

Primary Gastrointestinal T-Cell Lymphoma and Indolent Lymphoproliferative Disorders: Practical Diagnostic and Treatment Approaches

Simple Summary

It is challenging for pathologists to diagnose primary gastrointestinal T-cell neoplasms. Besides the rarity of the diseases, the small biopsy material makes it more difficult to differentiate between non-neoplastic inflammation and secondary involvement of extra gastrointestinal lymphoma. Since this group of diseases ranges from aggressive ones with a very poor prognosis to indolent ones that require caution to avoid overtreatment, the impact of the diagnosis on the patient is enormous. Although early treatment of aggressive lymphoma is essential, the treatment strategy is not well established, which is a problem for clinicians. This review provides a cross-sectional comparison of histological findings. Unlike previous reviews, we summarized up-to-date clinically relevant information including the treatment strategies as well as practical differential diagnosis based on thorough literature review.

Abstract

Primary gastrointestinal (GI) T-cell neoplasms are extremely rare heterogeneous disease entities with distinct clinicopathologic features. Given the different prognoses of various disease subtypes, clinicians and pathologists must be aware of the key characteristics of these neoplasms, despite their rarity. The two most common aggressive primary GI T-cell lymphomas are enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma and monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma. In addition, extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma of the nasal type and anaplastic large cell lymphoma may also occur in the GI tract or involve it secondarily. In the revised 4th World Health Organization classification, indolent T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder of the GI tract has been incorporated as a provisional entity. In this review, we summarize up-to-date clinicopathological features of these disease entities, including the molecular characteristics of primary GI T-cell lymphomas and indolent lymphoproliferative disorders. We focus on the latest treatment approaches, which have not been summarized in existing reviews. Further, we provide a comprehensive review of available literature to address the following questions: How can pathologists discriminate subtypes with different clinical prognoses? How can primary GI neoplasms be distinguished from secondary involvement? How can these neoplasms be distinguished from non-specific inflammatory changes at an early stage?

Clinical Features and Prognostic Factors of Children with Chronic Active Epstein-Barr Virus Infection: A Retrospective Analysis of a Single Center

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the clinical characteristics, prognosis factors and risk factors of chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection in children.

STUDY DESIGN

Observational analysis of baseline data and follow-up evaluation data of children with chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection in our center between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2019; they were followed through June 30, 2020.

RESULTS

There were 96 children with chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (50 male and 46 female children), with the median age of 6.7 years (range from 0.6 to 17.6 years) at diagnosis. The median follow-up time was 16.5 months. The 3 most common clinical manifestations were fever, lymph node enlargement, and hepatomegaly or splenomegaly. Thirty-three patients (36.3%) also had a diagnosis of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Epstein-Barr virus infected only T lymphocytes, natural killer cells, or both T- and natural killer-cell types in 15 (33.3%), 17 (37.8%), and 13 (28.9%), respectively. At the end of follow-up, 26 children had died, 60 survived, and 10 were lost to follow-up. Generally, progression-free survival was 69.8% ± 2.4%. The level of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 and the combination of younger age and lower pathologic grade at diagnosis were independent prognostic factors by Cox regression analysis (P = .009 and .018, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Children with lower levels of IL-6 and IL-10, or with younger age and lower pathologic grades, generally had favorable outcomes at the terminal point of follow-up, indicating better prognostic signs.

High risk of relapsed disease in patients with NK/T cell chronic active Epstein-Barr virus disease outside of Asia

Stem cell transplant improves long-term survival in T/NK CAEBV, though mortality remains high.

Development of T/NK lymphoma showed a trend with increased mortality.

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) disease (CAEBV) is characterized by high levels of EBV predominantly in T and/or natural killer cells with lymphoproliferation, organ failure due to infiltration of tissues with virus-infected cells, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, and/or lymphoma. The disease is more common in Asia than in the United States and Europe. Although allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is considered the only curative therapy for CAEBV, its efficacy and the best treatment modality to reduce disease severity prior to HSCT is unknown. Here, we retrospectively assessed an international cohort of 57 patients outside of Asia. Treatment of the disease varied widely, although most patients ultimately proceeded to HSCT. Though patients undergoing HSCT had better survival than those who did not (55% vs 25%, P < .01), there was still a high rate of death in both groups. Mortality was largely not affected by age, ethnicity, cell-type involvement, or disease complications, but development of lymphoma showed a trend with increased mortality (56% vs 35%, P = .1). The overwhelming majority (75%) of patients who died after HSCT succumbed to relapsed disease. CAEBV remains challenging to treat when advanced disease is present. Outcomes would likely improve with better disease control strategies, earlier referral for HSCT, and close follow-up after HSCT including aggressive management of rising EBV DNA levels in the blood.

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection progresses to aggressive NK cell leukemia with a poor prognosis

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) associated T/NK-cell lymphoproliferative diseases (EBV-T/NK-LPDs) are a cluster of diseases that include chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV) and aggressive NK cell leukemia (ANKL). The pathogenesis of EBV-T/NK-LPDs is largely unclear and the treatment is difficult and in most cases a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is needed. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is known to affect the prognosis of patients with EBV-T/NK-LPDs. This study reports a case of a 20-year-old male patient with repeated infectious mononucleosis (IM)-like symptoms such as high fever, splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy for more than two years. The patient had a high EBV-DNA load (NK cells were the main target cells). He was first diagnosed as CAEBV. However, the disease gradually progressed and the patient developed with high ferritin, phagocytosis and monoclonal NK cells in bone marrow, pancytopenia, increased cytokines, and elevated expression of Ki-67. Also, his NK cells had abnormal immunophenotypes and impaired function. The patient had a typical clinical course of progression from CAEBV to ANKL, accompanied by HLH complications and a poor prognosis. Herein, the detailed diagnostic and differential diagnostic process of EBV infection was shown in this report.

Epstein-Barr Virus in Inborn Immunodeficiency-More Than Infection

Simple Summary

Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) is a common virus that is readily controlled by a healthy immune system and rarely causes serious problems in infected people. However, patients with certain genetic defects of their immune system might have difficulties controlling EBV and often develop severe and life-threatening conditions, such as severe inflammation and malignancies. In this review, we provide a summary of inherited immune diseases that lead to a high susceptibility to EBV infection and discuss how this infection is associated with cancer development.

Abstract

Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous virus affecting more than 90% of the world’s population. Upon infection, it establishes latency in B cells. It is a rather benign virus for immune-competent individuals, in whom infections usually go unnoticed. Nevertheless, EBV has been extensively associated with tumorigenesis. Patients suffering from certain inborn errors of immunity are at high risk of developing malignancies, while infection in the majority of immune-competent individuals does not seem to lead to immune dysregulation. Herein, we discuss how inborn mutations in TNFRSF9, CD27, CD70, CORO1A, CTPS1, ITK, MAGT1, RASGRP1, STK4, CARMIL2, SH2D1A, and XIAP affect the development, differentiation, and function of key factors involved in the immunity against EBV, leading to increased susceptibility to lymphoproliferative disease and lymphoma.

T Cell-Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) Occurs in Non-Asians and Is Associated with a T Cell Activation State that Is Comparable to Primary HLH

Purpose

T cell-Epstein-Barr virus–associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (T cell-EBV-HLH) is prevalent in East Asia and has poor prognosis. Understanding of this disease is limited, and literature regarding prevalence in North America is scarce. Herein, we summarize our experience.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of T cell-EBV-HLH patients admitted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (GA, USA) from 2010 to 2020 was conducted. Additional immune studies were completed in a subset of patients.

Results

We report 15 patients (10 months–19 years of age) diagnosed with T cell-EBV-HLH. Nine patients were Hispanic, and the majority did not have primary HLH (p-HLH) gene defects. Soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels in T cell-EBV-HLH were significantly higher than other forms of secondary-HLH but comparable to p-HLH, and it correlated with disease severity at presentation. Natural killer cell function was decreased in most patients despite a negative workup for p-HLH. Depending on disease severity, initial therapy included dexamethasone or dexamethasone and etoposide. Refractory patients were managed with blended regimens that included one or more of the following therapies: combination chemotherapy, alemtuzumab, emapalumab, and nivolumab. Rituximab did not appreciably decrease EBV viremia in most patients. Non-critically ill patients responded well to immunosuppressive therapy and are long-term survivors without undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Alemtuzumab resulted in inflammation flare in two of the three patients. Three patients underwent allogeneic HSCT, with disease relapse noted in one. At a median follow-up of 3 years, 10 of the 15 patients are alive.

Conclusion

T cell-EBV-HLH occurs in the USA among the non-Asian populations, especially in those who are Hispanic.

Primary age-related EBV-associated effusion-based lymphoma successfully treated with rituximab and thoracentesis

EBV-positive HHV8-negative EBL is part of the spectrum of EBV-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma NOS. This entity can be labeled as primary age-related EBV-associated EBL and appears to respond well to rituximab and thoracentesis.

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection: A heterogeneous entity requiring a high index of suspicion for diagnosis

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection of T- and NK-cell type, systemic form, is a rare entity within the spectrum of EBV-driven T- and NK-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Established diagnostic criteria and a characteristic clinical course help to differentiate it from other closely related EBV-positive neoplasms and clinical states. We present a patient and review the natural history, pathologic features, pathogenesis, and differential diagnosis of this entity.

EBV-positive T/NK-associated lymphoproliferative disorders of childhood: A complete autopsy report

Introduction

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-associated systemic T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder of childhood is a rare but severe manifestation of chronic EBV infection. Despite several case reports characterizing this rare hematological neoplasm, the literature describes extensive heterogeneity in the presentation of this disease.

Case presentation

Here we present a complete autopsy of a 16-year-old girl who ultimately succumbed to EBV-associated systemic T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder of childhood. Her clinical presentation demonstrated a non-specific pharyngitis with positive mono spot test, evolving into fulminant multi-organ failure, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, sepsis, and ultimately death.

Conclusions

Post-mortem findings included extensive hemorrhage, and infiltration of the liver, spleen, lymph nodes and bone marrow with neoplastic T-cells. There was extensive hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) within these organs, suggesting overlap between the EBV-associated systemic T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder of childhood and EBV-associated HLH. We hope these findings provide a more comprehensive overview of several possible manifestations of EBV-associated systemic T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder of childhood.

Clinicopathological analysis of neoplastic PD-L1-positive EBV+ diffuse large B cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified, in a Japanese cohort

The programmed death 1 (PD1)/PD1 ligand (PD-L1) axis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Epstein-Barr virus-positive diffuse large B cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (EBV+ DLBCL, NOS). Here, we describe PD-L1 expression by EBV+ DLBCL, NOS in order to evaluate its possible contribution to the pathogenesis of this tumor. The study included 57 cases of EBV+ DLBCL, NOS. The median patient age was 69 years and 95% (n = 54) were aged > 45. Extranodal lesions were present in 39 (69%) at initial diagnosis. PD-L1 expression (mAb SP142-positive staining) was present in more than 5% of tumor cells in only six cases (11%), in clear contrast to the 77% reported in cases aged under 45 years. Among the PD-L1+ cases, three were nodal lesions. All six PD-L1+ cases progressed in the 3 years after diagnosis and four of the six patients died of the disease within 2 years. PD-L1+ cases had significantly shorter PFS (P = 0.002) and relatively short OS (P = 0.26), compared with PD-L1- cases. EBV+ DLBCL, NOS in the elderly infrequently expressed PD-L1 and had poor prognosis. PD-L1 expression in EBV+ DLBCL, NOS of the elderly sheds light on the pathogenetic role of immune senescence.

Age-related EBV-associated B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders and other EBV + lymphoproliferative diseases: New insights into immune escape and immunodeficiency through staining with anti-PD-L1 antibody clone SP142

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is prevalent among healthy individuals, and is implicated in numerous reactive and neoplastic processes in the immune system. The authors originally identified a series of senile or age-related EBV-associated B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) bearing a resemblance to immunodeficiency-associated ones. These LPDs may be associated with immune senescence and are now incorporated into the revised 4th edition of 2017 WHO lymphoma classification as EBV-positive (EBV+) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), not otherwise specified (NOS). These EBV+ B-cells often have a Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg (HRS)-like appearance and are shared beyond the diagnostic categories of mature B-cell neoplasms, mature T-cell neoplasms, classic Hodgkin lymphoma, and immunodeficiency-associated LPD. In addition, peculiar new diseases, such as EBV+ mucocutaneous ulcer and EBV+ DLBCL affecting the young, were recognized. On the other hand, lymphoma classification is now evolving in accord with deeper understanding of the biology of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1). Assessing PD-L1 positivity by staining with the anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody SP142 provides new insight by discriminating between immune evasion and senescence or immunodeficiency. The aim of the present review is to briefly summarize the diagnostic use of immunostaining with SP142 in malignant lymphomas and/or LPDs that feature tumor and nonmalignant large B-cells harboring EBV.

Intestinal ulcers as an initial finding in EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disorder: A case report

RATIONALE

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder (LPD) usually occurs in children and young adults. Gastrointestinal involvement is rare. EBV-associated T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder manifesting as intestinal ulcers poses diagnostic challenges clinically and pathologically because of the atypical manifestations. We concluded that some indicators according to our case and literatures, which might be helpful to the diagnosis of EBV-associated LPD manifested as intestinal ulcers.

PATIENT CONCERNS

Here we present a 26-year-old man with complaints of diarrhea and abdominal pain that had persisted for 1 year. Multiform and multifocal deep ulcers were discovered in the colonoscopy. Cell atypia was not obvious but colitis with crypt distortion was found in pathology.

DIAGNOSES

According to the symptoms, laboratory examinations, colonoscopy and pathology results, Crohn Disease was diagnosed.

INTERVENTIONS

Infliximab therapy was initiated based on the diagnosis of Crohn Disease.

OUTCOMES

After the fifth course of therapy, intermittent fever and hematochezia occurred. Physical examination revealed swollen tonsils and ulcers, and purulent exudate from the right tonsil and palatoglossal arch were observed. Biopsies obtained through colonoscopy and nasopharyngoscopy demonstrated EBV-associated T-cell proliferation disease (level 3). After that, the tissue sample from the first colonoscopy was reexamined immunohistochemically. The result suggested EBV-associated T-cell proliferation disease (level 1).

LESSONS

When we confront with patients with multiform and multifocal deep intestinal ulcers, not only the common diseases such as Crohn Disease and intestinal tuberculosis should be considered, EBV-associated T-cell proliferation disease should be considered as well. Repeated multiple biopsy, gene rearrangement, EBV DNA quantitative analysis result, EBV-encoded RNA(EBER) and experienced pathologists might be helpful to the diagnosis.

T-cell lymphoproliferative processes in the spleen

T-cell lymphoproliferative processes in the spleen are rare and it is important to study normal T cell subsets in the spleen to understand the splenic milieu in which they arise. True malignant T-cell processes including hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma and T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia occur in the spleen, but other atypical reactive T-cell proliferations and those of uncertain significance also have been described. Proper distinction of florid T cell responses from malignant T-cell neoplasms has important therapeutic implications for the patient.

Oncogenesis of CAEBV revealed: Intragenic deletions in the viral genome and leaky expression of lytic genes

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a causative agent of infectious mononucleosis and several malignancies involving lymphocytes and epithelial cells. We recently reported genomic analyses of chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV), a proliferative disorder of T and/or NK cells, as well as other lymphoid malignancies. We found that T and/or NK cells undergoing clonal expansion in CAEBV patients gain somatic driver mutations as the disorder progresses. Investigation of the viral genome revealed viral genomes harboring intragenic deletions in the BamHI-rightward transcripts (BART) region and in essential lytic genes. Interestingly, we observed that these deletions resulted in leaky expression of viral lytic genes. This increased expression of viral lytic genes is reminiscent of the "pre-latent abortive lytic" state, in which a substantial number of lytic genes are produced for weeks in the absence of progeny production, which contributes to cell survival upon de novo infection. It has been known that EBV can choose either latent or lytic state, but this dualistic concept may need to be reconsidered, as our data suggest the presence of the third, intermediate state; leaky expression of lytic genes that does not lead to completion of the full lytic amplification cycle. Leaky expression of lytic genes likely contributes to the formation and maintenance of several types of EBV-associated tumors. We also presented significant circumstantial evidence suggesting that EBV infects lymphoid progenitor cells in CAEBV before differentiation into T and NK cells. Taken together, our new data shed light on oncogenesis of CAEBV and other EBV-associated malignancies.

Epstein - Barr virus positive T and NK-cell lymphoproliferations: Morphological features and differential diagnosis

The spectrum of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive T and NK-cell lymphoproliferations is broad and ranges from reactive self-limited disorders to neoplastic processes with a fulminant clinical course. EBV plays an important role promoting lymphomagenesis, although the precise mechanisms remain elusive. EBV-positive lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) are more common in East Asia (China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan), and Latin America suggesting a strong genetic predisposition. The revised 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) lymphoma classification recognizes the following malignant NK- and T-cell lymphomas; extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTCL), aggressive NK-cell leukemia (ANKL), and the provisional entity within the group of peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL, NOS) "primary EBV-positive nodal T or NK cell lymphoma". Disorders presenting mainly in children and young adults include chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV) - systemic and cutaneous forms - which are not considered malignant disorders but were included in the WHO classification for the first time because of the differential diagnosis with other T- or NK-cell lymphomas. CAEBV, cutaneous form, includes hydroa vacciniforme-like LPD (HV-LPD) and severe mosquito bite allergy (SMBA). Finally, systemic EBV-positive T-cell lymphoma of childhood was recognized as lymphoma because of its fulminant clinical course. Given the shared pathogenesis of these disorders, overlapping features are common demanding a close clinical, morphological and molecular correlation for an accurate diagnosis. This review summarizes the clinical, histopathological and molecular features of EBV-associated T and NK-cell LPD, highlighting the main features that might aid in the differential diagnosis.

Epstein-Barr virus NK and T cell lymphoproliferative disease: report of a 2018 international meeting

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) normally infects B cells, but in some persons the virus infects T or NK cells. Infection of B cells can result in infectious mononucleosis, and the virus is associated with several B cell malignancies including Hodgkin lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma, and diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Infection of T or NK cells with EBV is associated with extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, aggressive NK-cell leukemia, systemic EBV-associated T-cell lymphoma, and chronic active EBV disease, which in some cases can include hydroa vacciniforme-like lymphoproliferative disease and severe mosquito bite allergy. While NK and T cell lymphoproliferative disease is more common in Asia and Latin America, increasing numbers of cases are being reported from the United States and Europe. This review focuses on classification, clinical findings, pathogenesis, and recent genetic advances in NK and T cell lymphoproliferative diseases associated with EBV.

A new therapy in Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative disease: a case report and a revision of the literature

BACKGROUND

Systemic chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection is an extremely rare childhood disease. Since chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection can trigger the onset of Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative disease. The clinical manifestations of the disease vary according to the site of involvement; therefore, management may be challenging. Currently, there are no standardized guidelines for treating Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection effectively.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report a case of chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection in a 5-year-old Chinese boy with intestinal, vascular, and neurological involvement. At age of 2 years and 7 months old, he had hepatomegaly and been diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus infection. After treatment, he showed some clinical improvement. At age of 3 years and 3 months old, he presented with recurrent fever and diarrhea. Then he received methylprednisolone for 1 year and his symptoms ameliorated. At the age of 5 years, his symptoms recurred and had gastrointestinal hemorrhage and developed polyuria, frequent convulsions and hyponatremia. He was transferred to our hospital for further management. He was unconscious on admission and was diagnosised Epstein-Barr virus-lymphoproliferative disorder, based on the results in situ hybridization of EBV-encoded miRNA in sigmoid colon. Three-dimensional CT angiography demonstrated an aneurysm in the right internal carotid artery. Abdominal CT showed dilatation of vessels in part of the intestinal wall. He was also diagnosised Epstein-Barr virus encephalitis based on the elevated Epstein-Barr virus antibody titers and presence of Epstein-Barr virus DNA in the Cerebrospinal Fluid. A repeated duodenal artery embolization and symptomatic therapy could not control the hemorrhage after admission. He subsequently received treatment with ganciclovir, glucocorticoid, thalidomide, and propranolol. Hemorrhage was controlled in 5 days; his symptoms improved. The fever did not recur and the CSF pressure was also normalized. A follow-up CT at 3 months after admission showed regression of the aneurysm in the right internal carotid artery and the vascular lesion in the duodenum.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

A new treatment protocol including thalidomide and propranolol resulted in a marked improvement in his clinical symptoms, and shows promise as a novel and effective therapeutic approach for Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection-associated lymphoproliferative disorder.

EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disorder involving the gastrointestinal tract which mimic IBD in immunocompetent patients: case reports and literature review

INTRODUCTION

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated lymphoproliferative diseases (LPD) with digestive tract involvement in immunocompetent patients is rather rare. Since the symptoms of EBV-associated LPD involving the gastrointestinal tract in immunocompetent patients are similar to those of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), most patients are initially misdiagnosed.

CASE PRESENTATION

In this paper, we present two cases of EBV-associated T cell LPD involving the colon in immunocompetent patients and review the relevant literature.

CONCLUSION

EBV serological testing may help in detecting this disease, and our findings suggest that histopathological evidence of EBV, such as the Epstein-Barr encoding region, is very important to establish the diagnosis.

Extraoral plasmablastic lymphomas in a high human immunodeficiency virus endemic area

AIMS

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) occurs mainly in immunocompromised individuals, usually secondary to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. It classically occurs intraorally, but has been described in extraoral locations. The aim of this study was to define the immunophenotype and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status in a large single-centre cohort of extraoral PBL (EPBL) in South Africa, a high-prevalence HIV setting.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This retrospective study of 45 EPBLs included patients' age, gender, race, HIV status, and site. Cases were reviewed histologically, and classified morphologically as pure plasmablastic or plasmablastic with plasmacytic differentiation, and assessed immunohistochemically with antibodies against CD45, CD20, CD79a, PAX5, CD138, MUM1/IRF4, BLIMP1, VS38c, Ki67, bcl-6, CD10, cyclin D1, and human herpesvirus-8, by the use of standard automated procedures. EBV was assessed by the use of chromogenic in-situ hybridisation. Tumours were assessed with a fluorescence in-situ hybridisation (FISH) MYC break-apart probe. Twenty-seven PBLs showed pure plasmablastic morphology, and 18 showed plasmacytic differentiation. The male/female ratio was 1.5:1. The anus was the favoured extraoral site (31.1%), followed by lymph nodes (15.6%). All 29 patients with known HIV status were HIV-positive. The immunohistochemical profile recapitulated that reported for oral PBLs and EPBLs in HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients. EBV was positive in 92.5% of PBLs. FISH analysis showed MYC rearrangement in 48% of cases.

CONCLUSION

This study showed a strong association of EPBLs with HIV and EBV infection, similarly to the previously described oral PBL. The strong EBV association together with other clinicopathological parameters and an immunohistochemical profile that includes CD45, CD20, MUM1/IRF4, CD138 and Ki67 may be used in distinguishing PBL from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and plasma cell myeloma.

A clinicopathologic study of the spectrum of systemic forms of EBV-associated T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders of childhood: A single tertiary care pediatric institution experience in North America

BACKGROUND

Systemic forms of EBV-associated T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders of childhood (S-EBV-T-LPD) comprise three major forms: EBV-positive hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH), systemic EBV-positive T-cell lymphoma (S-EBV-TCL), and systemic chronic active EBV infection (S-CAEBV). These disorders occur rarely in children in Western countries. Here, we described eight children of such entities.

DESIGN

Eight cases (six clinical and two autopsy) with S-EBV-T-LPD of childhood were retrospectively identified from 1990 to 2015. Clinicopathologic parameters including histomorphology, immunophenotype, EBV studies, and T-cell receptor gene rearrangement studies were recorded.

RESULTS

Patients include five females and three males of Hispanic, Asian, and Caucasian origins with an age range of 14 months to 9 years. Fever, hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenias, abnormal EBV serologies, and very high EBV viral loads were common findings. Histologic findings showed EBV⁺ T-cell infiltrates with variable degrees of architectural distortion and cytologic atypia ranging from no to mild cytologic atypia to overt lymphoma and tissue hemophagocytosis. All showed aberrant CD4⁺ or CD8⁺ T cells with dim to absent CD5, CD7, and CD3, and bright CD2 and CD45 by flow cytometry or loss of CD5 by immunohistochemistry. TCR gene rearrangement studies showed monoclonal rearrangements in all clinical cases (6/6). Outcomes were poor with treatment consisting of chemotherapy per the HLH-94 or HLH-2004 protocols with or without bone marrow transplant.

CONCLUSION

In this large pediatric clinicopathologic study of S-EBV-T-LPD of childhood in the United States, EBV-HLH, S-EBV-TCL, and S-CAEBV show many overlapping features. Diagnosis is challenging, and overall outcome is poor using current HLH-directed therapies.

Update on the classification of T-cell lymphomas, Hodgkin lymphomas, and histiocytic/dendritic cell neoplasms

Introduction: The classification of lymphomas is based on the postulated normal counterparts of lymphoid neoplasms and currently constitutes over 100 definite or provisional entities. As this number of entities implies, lymphomas show marked pathological, genetic, and clinical heterogeneity. Recent molecular findings have significantly advanced our understanding of lymphomas. Areas covered: The World Health Organization (WHO) classification of lymphoid neoplasms was updated in 2017. The present review summarizes the new findings that have been gained in the areas of mature T-cell neoplasms, Hodgkin lymphomas, and histiocytic/dendritic cell neoplasms since the publication of the 2017 WHO classification. Expert opinion: Although formal revisions to the WHO classification are published only periodically, our understanding of the pathologic, genetic, and clinical features of lymphoid neoplasms is constantly evolving, particularly in the age of -omics technologies and targeted therapeutics. Even in the relatively short time since the publication of the 2017 WHO classification, many significant findings have been identified in the entities covered in this review.

EBV-Associated Lymphoproliferative Disorders: Update in Classification

Although about 90% of the world's population is infected by EBV only a small subset of the related infections result in neoplastic transformation. EBV is a versatile oncogenic agent involved in a multitude of hematopoietic, epithelial, and mesenchymal neoplasms, but the precise role of EBV in the pathogenesis of many of the associated lymphoid/histiocytic proliferations remains hypothetical or not completely understood. Additional studies and use of evolving technologies such as high-throughput next-generation sequencing may help address this knowledge gap and may lead to enhanced diagnostic assessment and the development of potential therapeutic interventions.

Clinicopathological categorization of hydroa vacciniforme-like lymphoproliferative disorder: an analysis of prognostic implications and treatment based on 19 cases

Background

Hydroa vacciniforme-like lymphoproliferative disorder (HV-LPD) is a cutaneous form of chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, which occurs mainly in children in Latin America and Asia. It can progress to systemic lymphoma. However, prognostic factors and treatment remain unclear.

Methods

This retrospective study reviewed the clinical, morphologic, immunophenotypical features, and clinical treatment of 19 patients with HV-LPD.

Results

All 19 patients had skin lesions in the face, extremities, or areas unexposed to the sun, including edema, blistering, ulceration, and scarring. The course was slowly progressive and relapsing. Histopathology showed an atypical lymphocytic infiltrate in the dermis and/or subcutaneous tissue. The lesions had a cytotoxic T/NK-cell immunophenotype. Among 19 patients, 7 (37%) exhibited CD4+ T cells, 5 (26%) exhibited CD8+ T cells, and 7 (37%) exhibited CD56+ cells. Of 12 cases with a T-cell phenotype, molecular analyses demonstrated that 7 had monoclonal rearrangements in the T-cell receptor genes. Three cases had an NK-cell phenotype and had polyclonal rearrangements in the TCR genes. All cases were associated with EBV infections. Among 19 patients, 9 (47.4%) received chemotherapy. Only one patient received allogeneic transplantation and EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte treatment after chemotherapy. That patient was the only one alive without disease at the latest follow up. Nine patients died of systemic lymphoma with disease progression, indicating irreversible process.

Conclusions

This study confirmed that HV-LPD is a broad-spectrum EBV+ lymphoproliferative disorder. It progressed to EBV+ systemic T/NK lymphoma, although some patients had a more indolent, chronic course. Cytopenia, elevated lactate dehydrogenase, destructive-multiorgan involvement, and older age were poor prognostic factors. Only allogeneic transplantation was curative.

Hydroa vacciniforme-like lymphoproliferative disorder: an EBV disease with a low risk of systemic illness in whites

Patients with classic hydroa vacciniforme-like lymphoproliferative disorder (HVLPD) typically have high levels of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA in T cells and/or natural killer (NK) cells in blood and skin lesions induced by sun exposure that are infiltrated with EBV-infected lymphocytes. HVLPD is very rare in the United States and Europe but more common in Asia and South America. The disease can progress to a systemic form that may result in fatal lymphoma. We report our 11-year experience with 16 HVLPD patients from the United States and England and found that whites were less likely to develop systemic EBV disease (1/10) than nonwhites (5/6). All (10/10) of the white patients were generally in good health at last follow-up, while two-thirds (4/6) of the nonwhite patients required hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Nonwhite patients had later age of onset of HVLPD than white patients (median age, 8 vs 5 years) and higher levels of EBV DNA (median, 1 515 000 vs 250 000 copies/ml) and more often had low numbers of NK cells (83% vs 50% of patients) and T-cell clones in the blood (83% vs 30% of patients). RNA-sequencing analysis of an HVLPD skin lesion in a white patient compared with his normal skin showed increased expression of interferon-γ and chemokines that attract T cells and NK cells. Thus, white patients with HVLPD were less likely to have systemic disease with EBV and had a much better prognosis than nonwhite patients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00369421 and #NCT00032513.

Ontogeny, Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Classification of B- and T-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Mature B- and T-cell lymphomas are diverse in their biology, etiology, genetics, clinical behavior, and response to specific therapies. Here, we review the principles of diagnostic classification for non-Hodgkin lymphomas, summarize the characteristic features of major entities, and place recent biological and molecular findings in the context of principles that are applicable across the spectrum of mature lymphoid cancers.

EBV Viral Loads in Diagnosis, Monitoring, and Response Assessment

The quantification of circulating Epstein Barr virus (EBV) DNA loads has played an important role in the diagnosis and management of EBV-associated lymphoid malignancies. Viral load measurement is particularly useful for monitoring EBV-DNA in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients, and for assessing the prognosis or response to therapy of EBV-associated intractable lymphomas like extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type. Cell-free EBV-DNA in plasma can be used as a biomarker for estimating the severity or prognosis of these lymphomas. In addition to plasma, whole blood has been used for the management of transplant patients. Although measuring EBV-DNA has been useful, there is a lack of standardization and the optimal specimens for measuring viral loads are unknown. This can be attributed to the different forms of EBV-DNA that exist in peripheral blood and the different pathologies that result from diverse EBV disease states. As a result, guidelines for EBV diagnosis or the initiation of treatment are unclear. However, the newly established World Health Organization standard for EBV quantification will encourage collaborative studies across institutions and countries to establish proper guidelines for EBV diagnosis and the initiation of treatment.

Defective Epstein-Barr virus in chronic active infection and haematological malignancy

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is highly prevalent in humans and is implicated in various diseases, including cancer^1,2. Chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV) is an intractable disease classified as a lymphoproliferative disorder in the 2016 World Health Organization lymphoma classification^1,2. CAEBV is characterized by EBV-infected T/natural killer (NK) cells and recurrent/persistent infectious mononucleosis-like symptoms³. Here, we show that CAEBV originates from an EBV-infected lymphoid progenitor that acquires DDX3X and other mutations, causing clonal evolution comprising multiple cell lineages. Conspicuously, the EBV genome in CAEBV patients harboured frequent intragenic deletions (27/77) that were also common in various EBV-associated neoplastic disorders (28/61), including extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma and EBV-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, but were not detected in infectious mononucleosis or post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (0/47), which suggests a unique role of these mutations in neoplastic proliferation of EBV-infected cells. These deletions frequently affected BamHI A rightward transcript microRNA clusters (31 cases) and several genes that are essential for producing viral particles (20 cases). The deletions observed in our study are thought to reactivate the lytic cycle by upregulating the expression of two immediate early genes, BZLF1 and BRLF1^4-7, while averting viral production and subsequent cell lysis. In fact, the deletion of one of the essential genes, BALF5, resulted in upregulation of the lytic cycle and the promotion of lymphomagenesis in a xenograft model. Our findings highlight a pathogenic link between intragenic EBV deletions and EBV-associated neoplastic proliferations.

Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated T and NK-Cell Lymphoproliferative Diseases

EBV-associated T and NK-cell lymphoproliferative diseases (EBV-T/NK LPDs) are characterized by the transformation and proliferation of EBV-infected T or NK cells. The 2016 revised World Health Organization classification recognizes the following EBV-positive lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD): chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV) of T- and NK-cell type (cutaneous and systemic forms), systemic EBV-positive T-cell lymphoma of childhood, aggressive NK-cell leukemia, extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, and the new provisional entity primary EBV-positive nodal T/NK-cell lymphoma. EBV-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), although not included in the WHO classification because it is a reactive, inflammatory disease, is included in this review because it can be life-threatening and may have overlapping features with other EBV+ T/NK LPDs. EBV+ T/NK LPDs are rare diseases difficult to diagnose and manage properly, because some LPDs have unusual presentations, and discrepancies between clinical and histological findings might be encountered. Furthermore, EBV+ T/NK disorders share some clinico-pathological features, and may evolve into other categories during the clinical course, including malignant transformation of CAEBV. Here, we review the EBV+ T/NK LPDs in terms of their definitions, clinical features, histology, immunophenotype, molecular findings, and pathogenesis. This review aims to increase our understanding and awareness of the differential diagnosis among the different EBV+ T/NK LPDs. New insights into the genetic characteristics of these disorders will also be discussed.

Acute Epstein-Barr virus-positive cytotoxic T cell lymphoid hyperplasia in the upper aerodigestive tract, mimicking extranodal natural killer/T cell lymphoma, nasal type

To describe the clinicopathological features of nine patients with acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive cytotoxic T cell lymphoid hyperplasia (EBV+TLH) in the upper aerodigestive tract, in which initial findings led to a preliminary misdiagnosis of extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL). A series of nine cases of EBV+TLH in one Chinese institution over a 9-year interval was retrospectively analyzed. Median age was 16 years (range 5-29 years) with a M:F ratio of 5:4. All patients were previously healthy with an acute onset period of < 1 month. Six patients (66%) presented with masses or polypoid protrusions in the upper aerodigestive tract. Nasopharyngeal symptoms, cervical lymphadenopathy, and fever were found in 89%, 78%, and 56% of patients, respectively. In seven cases, morphology mainly showed small-sized irregular cells and in two cases medium-to-large cells. In all cases, the cells diffusely expressed cytoplasmic CD3 and at least one marker for cytotoxic granules, but were negative for CD56. CD5 expression was detected in eight cases (8/9, 89%). In all cases, double staining for CD3 and EBER indicated that most T cells were infected with EBV. T cell receptor gene rearrangement was performed in five cases and all showed polyclonal results. All patients achieved complete remission within 1 month after diagnosis without any chemoradiotherapy and were followed up 19-124 months without recurrent disease. EBV+TLH in the upper aerodigestive tract is occasionally observed in China. The histopathologic features of EBV+TLH can mimic ENKTL. EBV+TLH should be taken into consideration as a potential diagnosis when the disease duration is short, spontaneous remission is achieved without intervention, and when histology shows infiltration with EBV-infected T lymphocytes.