Epstein-Barr Virus in Patients with Classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Aim. To evaluate diagnostic and prognostic significance of EBV markers in patients with EBV-negative lymphomas. Methods. The clinical trial included 13 cHL-patients admitted at the Department of chemotherapy of hemoblastoses of NN Blokhin National Medical Cancer Research Center. The male to female ratio was 1:1.3, the median age was 26.4 years. Leukocyte and lymphocyte counts were evaluated in all the patients before, during, and after treatment as well as throughout the follow-up period. The same indicators were analysed in the control group which contained 40 healthy persons (with the median age of 41.1 years, male to female ratio 1.5:1). The study was based on serologic test for EBV antibodies and quantitative analysis of the viral DNA copy number in plasma. Results. The obtained data show a low immunie response to EBV and its diminishment after several polychemotherapy treatment cycles, correlating with decreased leukocyte and lymphocyte levels. As opposed to levels of virus-specific antibodies which do not reflect the efficacy of anticancer therapy, plasma EBV DNA concentration in 2 patients decreased to 0 after remission had been achieved. Conclusion. Although the number of observations is limited, one could suggest that viral load values in plasma of patients with EBV-negative lymphomas can prove to be a useful marker of anticancer therapeutic effect. Additional studies of these markers are required.