Antibodies against lytic and latent Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus antigens and lymphoma in the European EpiLymph case-control study

• Authors: BENAVENTE Y.; MBISA G.; LABO N.; CASABONNE D.; BECKER N.; MAYNADIE M.; FORETOVÁ Lenka; COCCO Pierluigi; NIETERS A.; STAINES A.; BOFETTA P.; BRENNAN P.; WHITBY D.; DE SANJOSE S.
• Year of publication: 2011
• Type: Article in Periodical
• Magazine / Source: British Journal of Cancer
• MU Faculty or unit: Faculty of Medicine
• Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2011.392
• Field: Oncology and hematology
• Keywords: epidemiology; Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus; human herpes virus 8; serology; lymphoma
• Description: Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus is associated with primary effusion lymphoma and multicentric Castleman's disease. METHODS: Seropositivity to lytic and latent Kaposi's sarcoma herpes virus (KSHV) antigens were examined in 2083 lymphomas and 2013 controls from six European countries. RESULTS: Antibodies against KSHV latent and lytic antigens were detectable in 4.5% and 3.4% of controls, respectively, and 3.6% of cases (P>0.05). The KSHV seropositivity was associated with splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) (odds ratio (OR) = 4.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.57-10.83) and multiple myeloma (OR = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.11-0.85). CONCLUSION: The KSHV is unlikely to contribute importantly to lymphomagenesis among immunocompetent subjects. However, the observed association with SMZL may underline a chronic antigen mechanism in its aetiology.