Co-existence of the A and B types of Epstein-Barr virus DNA in lymph node biopsies from Algerian patients with Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The association of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with Hodgkin's disease (HD) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) was examined in Algerian patients. The DNA extracted from fresh lymph node biopsies of 17 HD and five NHL was analysed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Fifteen out of 17 biopsies (88%) from HD contained EBV genome. Viral type analysis showed the coexistence of A and B types of EBV in 14 biopsies (93%), and the sole presence of A type virus in one biopsy. Among five NHL biopsies examined, four biopsies contained both A and B types of EBV, while one revealed A type-virus only. This co-infection of Algerian HD and NHL patients does not seem to be related with any histologic form of these diseases. The analysis of viral types in the saliva from 12 Algerian healthy individuals revealed six EBV positives with only one A type. Two types of lymphoma in Algeria therefore are closely associated with EBV, and are characterized by coinfection with A and B types of EBV.

Comparison of Epstein-Barr virus markers in Reed-Sternberg cells in adult Hodgkin's disease tissues from an industrialized and a developing country.

The link between Hodgkin's disease (HD) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is well documented in childhood and here the same hypothesis has been examined in adults, by comparing cases from an industrialized and a developing country. In this study the prevalence of EBV markers in nodal lesions of adult HD were compared in 21 patients from France (Fr) and 25 from Algeria (Al), all clinically staged during 1990-1992. Median age was 29 years. Histologic subtypes included lymphocytic predominance (LP) Fr 1; nodular sclerosis (NS) Fr 16, Al 16; mixed cellularity (MC) Fr 4, Al 9. EBV markers examined included expression of latent membrane protein (LMP) in Reed-Sternberg and Hodgkin cells (RSC) by immunochemistry; EBV-DNA and -RNA in situ hybridization (ISH); EBV-DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results showed that RSC were LMP-positive in 4 (2 NS, 2 MC) French and 7 (3 NS, 4 MC) Algerian. All LMP+ cases were also positive for EBV DNA-RNA ISH. ISH was positive in RSC of 33% of the French and 72% of Algerian patients (p < 0.02). The positivity was more frequent in MC (77%) than in other histologic types (45%). The EBV genome was detected by PCR on DNA extracted from frozen samples in 84% of Fr and 95% of Al patients (100% of MC and 86% of other histologic types). Conclusion. The discrepancy between PCR and ISH results may be due to the lesser sensitivity of the ISH technique, or, alternatively, to the presence of EBV in the lymphoid cells surrounding RSC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Association of Epstein-Barr virus and Hodgkin's disease: comparison between Algerian and French patients]. / Association du virus d'Epstein-Barr à la maladie de Hodgkin: comparaison entre patients algériens et français.

The prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) markers in nodal lesions from Algerian (Al) patients (n = 47) was compared to French (Fr) patients (n = 21) with Hodgkin's disease. Initial characteristics were: males Fr 57%, Al 53%; median age Fr 29, Al 26; histologic subtypes: lymphocytic predominance (LP) Fr 1, Al 2; nodular sclerosis (NS) Fr 16, Al 19; mixed cellularity (MC) Fr 4, Al 12; lymphocytic depletion (LD) Al 2. The latent membrane protein (LMP) was expressed in Reed-Sternberg cells (RSC) in 16 Al (4 NS, 12 MC) and 4 Fr (2 NS, 2 MC) cases. All LMP-positive cases were also positive by DNA or RNA in situ hybridization (ISH). ISH was positive in RSC of 29% of Fr and 66% of Al patients (p < 0.02); the positivity was more frequent in MC (80%) than in other histologic types (39%). EBV genome was detected by PCR on DNA extracted from frozen samples in 84% of Fr and 95% of Al patients (100% of MC and 86% of other histologic types). The discrepancy between PCR and ISH results can be due to a lesser sensitivity of the latter technique, or, alternatively, to the presence of EBV in lymphoid cells surrounding RSC. ISH positivity was more frequent in young Al adults than in Fr ones. This more pronounced HD-EBV link in patients from a developing country compared with an industrialized one can result from the age at primary EBV infection, which occurs earlier in Algeria than in France.

[Hodgkin disease, clinical stages IA-IIB: evaluation of the value of cisplatin. Preliminary results]. / Maladie de Hodgkin, stades cliniques IA-IIB: évaluation de l'intérêt du cisplatine. Résultats préliminaires.

Cisplatinum is highly effective in numerous solid tumors and was evaluated in Hodgkin's disease clinical stages (CS) I/II. Sixty-five patients (43 male, 22 female; median age 25, with 12 patients under 16: CS IA-IIA 41, IB 5, IIB 19) were randomly assigned to one of the following arms (PAF87 protocol): 3 ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine with methylprednisolone) cycles (ABVD arm) or 3 ABVD plus cisplatinum cycles (ABVD-Plt arm) followed by radiotherapy (RT); extended field (40 Gy) RT with a short paraaortic field including the spleen (30 Gy) was then administered in the ABVD arm; extended field (30 Gy) without lombosplenic port prophylaxis. RT was administered in ABVD-Plt arm when patients were in complete remission (CR) after chemotherapy (CT). Median follow-up was 35 months (6-62 months). During CT, 1 patient (ABVD-Plt) died from viral meningo-encephalitis; five patients (1 ABVD, 4 ABVD-Plt) stopped treatment because of emesis, of whom three receiving only 1.5-2.5 (ABVD-Plt) cycles, are still in CR after 13-60 months. Fifty-five patients (27 ABVD-Plt) were in CR after CT. Among the 27 ABVD-Plt patients, all in CR after RT, two died (one from myocardial infarction and one from immunoblastic lymphoma); one patient from the ABVD arm died from gastro-intestinal hemorrhage in 1st CR. No ABVD-Plt patient relapsed; 1 ABVD patient relapsed in non-irradiated area. At five years, actuarial survival/relapse-free survival was 96.1/90% and 88.2/100% for ABVD and ABVD-Plt patients, respectively.

Detection of the expression of the Epstein-Barr virus latent gene product in Hodgkin's lymph nodes by immunostaining. Comparison between paraffin sections and imprints.

The latent membrane protein (LMP) of Epstein-Barr virus can be detected by an immunostaining method in about 50% of Hodgkin's disease lymph node tumour cells on frozen sections. The same method had been successfully employed on paraffin-embedded (PE) sections. We used this immunostaining method on imprints (IP) and PE sections of 26 Hodgkin's lymph nodes. Overall, there were 11 LMP-positive cases; immunostaining was stronger in IP than in PE samples; in nine cases both IP and PE samples were LMP-positive; in two, imprints were LMP-positive when PE sections were LMP-negative.