[Epstein-Barr virus infection and expression of T-cell intracellular antigen-1 (TIA-1) in intestinal T-cell lymphoma]

To study the status of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and the expression of TIA-1 antigen in 24 cases of intestinal T-cell lymphomas.

In situ hybridization for EBER1/2; immunohistochemical staining by three step ABC technique for TIA-1, LMP-1, CD30, CD45RO, CD3 AND CD20. 19 cases of intestinal B-cell lymphomas were used for comparison.

(1) Of the 24 intestinal T-cell lymphoma cases, 23 were pleomorphic, medium to large cell type, and one cases was small cell type; in 20 of the 24 cases EBER1/2 signals were detected in the tumor cells; in 4 of the 20 EBER1/2 positive cases, tumor cells expressed LMP-1; EBER1/2 was not detected in 19 cases of intestinal B-cell lymphomas. (2) in 23 of the 24 cases, TIA-1 was expressed in most tumor cells, but not in the only case of small cell type; TIA-1 was negative in tumor cells of all 19 cases of intestinal B-cell lymphomas.

A high level of EBV infection was present in this group of intestinal T-cell lymphomas, the expression of TIA-1 may be related to its cell origin. Intestinal T-cell lymphoma may be an EBV-associated extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma.