Epstein-Barr Virus-Positive Hodgkin's Lymphoma in a Patient with Chronic Active Epstein-Barr Virus Infection

Chronic Active Epstein-Barr Virus Infection of T/NK-Cell Type Mimicking Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma: Clinicopathologic and Genetic Features of 8 Cases Supporting a Variant With "Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg-like" Cells of NK Phenotype

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection of T-cell and NK-cell type, systemic form (CAEBV-T/NK-S) is characterized by EBV T-cell and/or NK-cell proliferation with no changes suggesting malignancy. Therefore, when Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg (HRS)-like cells are scattered in CAEBV-T/NK-S, it is more likely to be misdiagnosed as classic Hodgkin lymphoma. We encountered a case wherein the patient showed HRS-like cells with typical NK phenotype. Therefore, we further investigated 8 similar cases to provide clinicopathologic and genetic features and discuss their distinction from other related diseases. Clinically, all cases met the diagnostic criteria of CAEBV. Moreover, 4/8 patients had hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. The median survival was 16 months (range, 5 to 35 mo). Pathologically, all lymph node samples had a remarkably similar morphology with scattered HRS-like cells surrounded by a mixture of small-sized lymphocytes, plasma cells, and macrophages that masqueraded classic Hodgkin lymphoma. Besides, erythrophagocytosis was detected in 4/11 samples. The HRS-like cells were positive for CD2, CD3p, CD30, CD56, GrB, and EBER-ISH, but negative for CD20, CD5, PAX-5, and LMP-1. The surrounding lymphocytes were mainly CD8 cytotoxic T cells, without obvious aberrant expression. In addition, all patients were polyclonal in the T-cell receptor γ rearrangement test. The harbored mutations were mainly in epigenetic modifiers, JAK-STAT signaling pathway, and apoptosis/cell cycle pathway, including SOCS1, DDX3X, and KMT2D, similar to other EBV-associated T/NK-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Therefore, the evidence indicates that "HRS-like cells of NK phenotype" is a variant of CAEBV-T/NK-S. This study may raise awareness of such confounding CAEBV-T/N-S cases in clinical practice to avoid misdiagnosis and treatment delay.

Chronic active EBV infection: the experience of the Samsung Medical Center in South Korea

BACKGROUND

Chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV) of T-cell or NK-cell type is an EBV+ polyclonal, oligoclonal or often monoclonal lymphoproliferative disorder (LPD) recognized as representing the spectrum of EBV-associated T-cell and NK-cell LPD with different clinical presentations; one systemic and two cutaneous disorders including hydroa vacciniforme-like T-cell LPD and mosquito bite hypersensitivity. The systemic form of the disease is characterized by fever, persistent hepatitis, hepatosplenomegaly and lymphadenopathy, which shows varying degrees of clinical severity depending on the immune response of the host and the EBV viral load.

CASE REPORTS

We described the clinicopathological findings of two children with CAEBV with a brief review of the literature.

CONCLUSIONS

Recognition of the disease is important for adequate management of the patient. EBV analysis should be included in the principal diagnostic tests for febrile children.

Hypersensitivity to mosquito bites as the primary clinical manifestation of an Epstein-Barr virus infection

Hypersensitivity to mosquito bites (HMB) is a rare disease characterized by intense local skin reactions with general symptoms, such as high fever and regional lymphadenopathy after mosquito bites. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) chronic infection and NK cell lymphoproliferative disease have been reported first in diagnosed HMB patients. Here, we present the case of a 6-year-old girl with 2 months' history of bullae and necrotic skin lesions, accompanied by a high temperature, visual hallucinations, and liver dysfunction after mosquito bites. A histopathologic examination of the skin lesion showed vasculitis and EBV infection. We could not detect any findings of hematologic malignancies or NK cell proliferative disease in the patient. Clinicians should closely evaluate HMB patients for possible development of lymphoproliferative status or hematologic malignant disorders.