Infectious mononucleosis prior to acute leukemia: A possible role for the epstein-barr virus
✍ Scribed by Paul H. Levine; David A. Stevens; Peter F. Coccia; Lyubica Dabich; Augustine Roland
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1972
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 515 KB
- Volume
- 30
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0008-543X
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Three cases of ALL preceded by IM are reported. One patient developed leukemia associated with an apparent recurrence of IM 17 months later. The other two patients, who were diagnosed as having I M one month prior to the appearance of their leukemia, had a poor response to chemotherapy and died after a brief illness. All patients had antibody to the EBV viral capsid antigen, and two had antibody to the EBV-associated early antigen. Although IM and ALL are suspected of being caused by a virus, epidemiologic and laboratory studies indicate that the etiology of these diseases is distinct. Since IM has been well documented as a preceding event in cases of ALL as well as other lymphocytic neoplasms, it is possible that EBV may be able to activate or "switch-on" an oncogenic process in a manner similar to that described for murine leukemia.
NFECTIOUS MONONUCLEOSIS (IM), A SELF-
I limited lymphoproliferative disorder etiologically linked to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)141*3 and acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), a progressively fatal disease also possibly of viral etiology,' have been compared for a number of reasons. Similar clinical and laboratory features have even suggested the possibility that IM is a self-limited form of ALL.4
In 1944, Feldman and Yarvis described a case of IM immediately preceding acute leukemia.' Recently, three cases of acute leukemia diagnosed shortly after apparent I M , similar to that described by Feldman and Yarvis, have come to our attention. Our purpose is to describe these cases of acute leukemia and relevant serologic studies.
Comparisons of case histories, a review of the literature, and measurements of EBV antibodies in leukemic patients indicate that EBV From i h