Pyothorax-associated lymphoma: relationship with Epstein-Barr virus, human herpes virus-8 and body cavity-based high grade lymphomas

Pyothorax-associated lymphoma (PAL) is a newly-described entity developing several decades after artificial pneumothorax treatment for pulmonary or pleural tuberculosis. It is known to be associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with constant expression of the two latent membrane proteins: latent membrane protein (LMP)-1 and EBV-associated nuclear antigen (EBNA)-2. We are reporting three new cases of PAL. All of the tumours were of B-cell lineage and classified as large-cell diffuse lymphomas according to the International Working Formulation for the Classification of Lymphomas. The EBV genome was detected in two of the cases with LMP-1 and EBNA-2 expression. No EBV could be detected in the third case suggesting that different mechanisms may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. Body cavity-based high grade lymphomas (BCBL) represent a new disease, developing mainly in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients: the tumoural cells often contain both human herpes virus (HHV)-8 (or Kaposi's sarcoma herpes virus) and EBV genomes, suggesting that these viruses might co-operate in the pathogenesis of the disease. The pleural location and the association of EBV have led to speculation that PAL could also be related to HHV-8 infection. However, no HHV-8 genome could be detected in any of the 14 tested cases already reported in the literature nor in the two cases we studied (one EBV-positive and one EBV-negative), suggesting that PAL and BCBL are two different entities.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. S. Lee, S. D. Groshong, C. D. Cool, B. K. Kleinschmidt-DeMasters, and L. F. van Dyk Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 Infection of IFN{gamma} Unresponsive Mice: A Small Animal Model for Gammaherpesvirus-Associated B-Cell Lymphoproliferative Disease Cancer Res., July 1, 2009; 69(13): 5481 - 5489. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M O'Donovan, I Silva, V Uhlmann, N Bermingham, K Luttich, C Martin, O Sheils, A Killalea, C Kenny, S Pileri, et al. Expression profile of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) in pyothorax associated lymphoma and in effusion lymphoma Mol. Pathol., April 1, 2001; 54(2): 80 - 85. [Abstract] [Full Text]