Epstein-barr virus-induced lymphoma in a cardiac transplant recipient

• Published in: The American journal of medicine Vol. 77; no. 1; pp. 179 - 184
• Main Authors: Dummer, J.Stephen, Bound, Linda M., Singh, Gurmukh, Atchison, R.Wayne, Kapadia, Silloo B., HO, Monto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.01.1984; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acyclovir - therapeutic use; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Burkitt Lymphoma - drug therapy; Burkitt Lymphoma - etiology; Cyclosporins - therapeutic use; Epstein-Barr virus; Heart Transplantation; Herpesvirus 4, Human; Humans; Immunosuppression - adverse effects; Male; Medical sciences; Postoperative Complications; Prednisone - therapeutic use; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the heart; Heart; Human; Postoperative; Herpesviridae; Γ-Herpesvirinae; Cardiovascular disease; Hemopathy; Epstein Barr virus; Homotransplantation; Non Hodgkin lymphoma; Virus; Infection; Surgery; Viral disease; Young adult; Complication
• ISSN: 0002-9343; 1555-7162
• DOI: 10.1016/0002-9343(84)90458-3

A monoclonal diffuse histiocytic lymphoma developed during the course of a serologically documented primary Epstein-Barr virus infection in a 22-year-old cardiac transplant recipient taking cyclosporine and prednisone. Throat washings revealed the virus at tumor presentation, and the tumor was shown to contain EpsteinBarr nuclear antigen-positive cells and the viral genome. Prolonged inversion of the T cell helper/suppressor ratio was demonstrated. A brief course of acyclovir appeared to halt viral shedding in the throat but had no apparent effect on the tumor.