[Correlation of Epstein-Barr virus infection and childhood lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and childhood lymphoma. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded specimens of lymphoma collected between 1996 and 2005, including 36 Hodgkin lymphomas (HL) and 51 non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), were included in this study. Paraffin-embedded specimens of reactive hyperplasia of lymph nodes (RL) collected during the same period were used as controls. Immunohistochemical (IHC) assay was used to detect EBV-LMP1 and in situ hybridization (ISH) to detect EBV-EBERs. RESULTS: EBV was detected in 72.2% (26/36) of the Hodgkin lymphomas, 15.7% (8/51) of the non-Hodgkin lymphomas and 33.3% (15/45) of the reactive hyperplasia of lymph nodes. There was a significant difference among Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and RL (P = 0. 000). CONCLUSION: Childhood Hodgkin lymphoma is closely correlated with Epstein-Barr virus infection. However, the low rate of EBV infection detected in childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma might be due to heterogeneous distribution of pathological types in this study.