Complete Absence of KSHV/HHV-8 in Posttransplant Lymphoproliferative Disorders

• Published in: American journal of clinical pathology 2009-05, Vol.131 (5), p.632-639
• Main Authors: Chen, Wei, Huang, Qin, Zuppan, Craig W., Rowsell, Edward H., Cao, Jeffrey D., Weiss, Lawrence M., Wang, Jun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0002-9173; 1943-7722
• DOI: 10.1309/AJCP2T4IIIZKBHMI

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs), a heterogeneous group of monoclonal or polyclonal lesions, occur in immunosuppressed patients after solid organ or bone marrow transplantation. Although most PTLDs are Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)+ and seem to represent EBV-induced proliferations of monoclonal (or less often polyclonal) B, T, or plasma cells, a subset of PTLDs is EBV–. Because Kaposi sarcoma–associated herpesvirus/human herpesvirus 8 (KSHV/HHV-8) has been described in association with the development of hematolymphoid and nonhematolymphoid neoplasms in HIV+ patients, we investigated whether there is an association between KSHV/HHV-8 and PTLDs. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue from 52 confirmed PTLD cases were analyzed immunohistochemically for expression of KSHV/HHV-8 latent nuclear antigen (LNA)-1 protein and by polymerase chain reaction–hybridization analysis for the KSHV/HHV-8 genome. The PTLD subtypes included 12 with early lesions (1 plasmacytic hyperplasia and 11 infectious mononucleosis–like), 10 polymorphic, 23 monomorphic (5 Burkitt, 14 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 1 plasmacytoma, 1 multiple myeloma, and 2 T-cell), 1 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), 5 HL-like lesions, and 1 unclassified or other. None of the 51 tested specimens showed expression of KSHV/HHV-8 LNA-1. Furthermore, all 46 specimens tested demonstrated complete absence of the KSHV/HHV-8 genome. Our data clearly indicated that KSHV/HHV-8 is not associated with PTLDs.