Primary immunodeficiency diseases and Epstein-Barr virus-induced lymphoproliferative disorders

Increased incidence of malignant disorders is noted in patients with both primary and acquired immunodeficiency diseases. The pathogenetic mechanism(s) for these disorders remain unclear. Defective immunosurveillance of these patients, however, is mainly postulated to be responsible for the increased risk of these malignant disorders. Of the malignant disorders, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) have been increasingly reported, possibly due to improved therapeutic management techniques such as bone marrow transplantation, which results in prolonged survival periods for the primary immunodeficiency; the dramatic development of immunosuppressive treatments for transplant recipients; and the growing numbers of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. This review focuses on the primary immunodeficiency diseases and EBV-induced LPD, and discusses pathogenetic mechanism(s) for the increased incidence of these malignant disorders.