Marked decrease in the Epstein-Barr virus positivity rate in nodular sclerosis subtype Hodgkin's disease in Tokyo:...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Virology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Hodgkin's disease (HD) is a lymphoma with varying associations with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
• Understanding temporal trends in EBV positivity is crucial for disease characterization and potential etiological insights.
• The nodular sclerosis (NS) subtype represents a significant proportion of HD cases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the historical trends of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positivity in Hodgkin's disease (HD) from 1955 to 1999.
• To determine if changes in EBV positivity rates differ among HD subtypes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of EBV positivity rates in HD patient cohorts.
• Data stratified by time periods (1955-1969, 1970-1984, 1985-1999).
• Comparison of EBV positivity rates between nodular sclerosis (NS) and other classic HD subtypes.

Main Results:

• Overall EBV positivity in HD showed a decreasing trend over the study period (52% to 35%), though not statistically significant (P=0.135).
• A significant decline in EBV positivity was observed in the nodular sclerosis (NS) subtype (45% to 4%, P < 0.01).
• No significant trend in EBV positivity was found in other classic HD subtypes (P=0.775).

Conclusions:

• The study indicates a decreasing trend in EBV positivity in Hodgkin's disease over four decades.
• This decline is largely attributable to an increasing incidence of EBV-negative nodular sclerosis (NS) cases.
• The findings highlight evolving epidemiological patterns of EBV association in HD subtypes.