Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1986. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
HUMAN T-LYMPHOTROPIC RETROVIRUS (HTLV-III) ASSOCIATED LYMPHOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS IN HOMOSEXUAL MEN
Dev Oncol; 31:191-203 1985. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICDB/86624712 Levine AM; Gill P; Meyer P; Rasheed S; USC-Division of Hematology, 2025 Zonal Avenue, Los Angeles, CA; 90033
Abstract:
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been defined operationally by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as the development of opportunistic infections and/or Kaposi's sarcoma in an individual who is not at risk for these disorders. Persistent, generalized lymphadenopathy (PGL) has been defined by the CDC as the occurrence of lymphadenopathy involving two or more extra-inguinal sites, of at least 3 mo duration, in the absence of any known intercurrent illness known to cause lymphadenopathy. The incidence of PGL in the homosexual population is largely unknown. A study of the natural history of PGL in homosexual men was begun by the authors approx 1 yr ago; 34 patients have been entered in the study. All patients underwent initial lymph node biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of PGL. In addition, all patients had evidence of prior infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), with serologic patterns consistent with reactivation or immune compromise in two of the patients. Likewise, the vast majority of the patients had been exposed to the human T-lymphotropic retrovirus (HTLV-III), and antibody against sucrose-density banded, whole, purified virus was detected by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method in 95% of the patients. The eventual outcome of patients with PGL is largely unknown at this time, as is the relationship between PGL and AIDS. The occurrence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in patients at risk of AIDS has raised the possibility that lymphoma may, in fact, be one facet of the current AIDS epidemic. From a careful evaluation of the clinical, pathologic, immunologic, and virologic details of disease in 27 homosexual men with malignant lymphoma, those factors that serve to define AIDS-related lymphomas have been elucidated and are discussed. Perhaps the B-cell proliferation induced by EBV, associated with the immunosuppressive effects of HTLV-III and the lifestyle habits of these patients, could provide the appropriate setting in which malignant transformation of HTLV-III-infected B lymphocytes could occur. (27 Refs)
Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/DIAGNOSIS Adult Antibodies, Viral/ANALYSIS B-Lymphocytes Homosexuality Human HTLV-BLV Viruses/IMMUNOLOGY Lymphoma/DIAGNOSIS/PATHOLOGY Lymphoproliferative Disorders/*DIAGNOSIS/PATHOLOGY Male Middle Age Neoplasm Staging Retroviridae Infections/*DIAGNOSIS/PATHOLOGY MEETING PAPER
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Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1986. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
