Epstein-Barr virus expression in Hodgkin s disease in Jordan

OBJECTIVE: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been associated with many hematopoietic malignancies including Hodgkin's disease (HD). The association of HD correlates with the histologic subtype, age of presentation and geographic location. Our aims were to find out if EBV is associated with Jordanian HD; and if EBV association exists, to determine its relationship to certain age groups or specific histologic subtypes of HD; and finally to establish whether such association follows patterns seen in developing or developed countries.

METHODS: We have examined 64 cases of HD diagnosed in 2 major medical centers in Jordan for evidence of EBV association. We used immunohistochemistry and in-situ hybridization techniques to detect latent membrane protein (LMP-1) and Epstein-Barr virus encoded RNA (EBER) in the Reed-Sternberg cells. The study was conducted at the Department of Pathology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan in the years 2000 and 2001.

RESULTS: Epstein Barr virus was seen in 47% of our cases: 22 (65%) of the 34 mixed cellularity and 8 (29%) of 28 nodular sclerosis HD. None of our 2 lymphocyte predominant HD cases showed evidence of EBV. Epstein-Barr virus was seen in 73% of HD cases in children below 15 years of age as opposed to 34% of the young adult group.

CONCLUSION: Our results confirm the presence of EBV in Jordanian HD in approximately half of the cases, a figure close to those reported in the West. Epstein-Barr virus association with HD in Jordan is seen mostly in the mixed cellularity subtype and childhood HD.