Study confirms suspicion of different variants of Hodgkin lymphoma
10 February 2012
An international scientific study including Danish scientists, published this week in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, confirms the long-held suspicion that different variants of Hodgkin lymphoma exist. This knowledge may be crucial to future studies of the causes and course of the disease. The study results have already prompted new collaboration across country borders.
Old suspicion of different variants of Hodgkin lymphoma
Hodgkin lymphoma is a relatively rare cancer, yearly affecting 125 Danes, often young adults. For nearly 50 years, researchers have suspected that different types of Hodgkin lymphoma exist and that the disease is sometimes caused by infection. During the last decade, studies from e.g. Statens Serum Institut have suggested that the very common Epstein-Barr virus in rare cases may cause Hodgkin lymphoma. An estimated 30-40% of all cases are believed to be caused by this virus, while the remaining 60-70% are presumed to have other causes.
The four key organs that make up the lymphoid system with bone marrow (upper left), lymph nodes (upper right), spleen (lower right) and thymus (lower left). Normal healthy organs are shown
European study of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and healthy control persons
A large European study including more than 1,200 patients with Hodgkin lymphoma suggests differences in the genetic material of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and healthy control persons, respectively. Of essential importance, the study found differences in the genetic material of patients whose disease was presumed to be caused by Epstein-Barr virus, and patients whose disease was presumed to have other causes. Thus, this study supports the hypothesis of different variants of Hodgkin lymphoma.
The risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma after infection with Epstein-Barr virus is low
Epstein-Barr virus is very common, and more than 90% of all adults are infected with this virus. The risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma due to the infection is, however, low, and in Denmark only 40 cases are observed annually. This is due to the fact that the immune system normally is able to hold the virus in check. Therefore, it is of specific interest that the results of this European study strongly suggest that genetic differences in the reaction of the immune system affect the risk of disease. Researchers at Statens Serum Institut now attempt, in collaboration with Scottish colleagues, to clarify how the difference in reaction to virus infection influence the clinical presentation.
Transatlantic collaboration
The European results have attracted interest from other research groups, and further common studies have been initiated: a common European-American collaboration is to investigate whether other differences in the genetic material exist apart from the ones already demonstrated. Another study will investigate whether different variants of Hodgkin lymphoma behave differently.
Read the scientific article
Urayama KY et al. Genome-Wide Association Study of Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma and Epstein-Barr Virus Status-Defined Subgroups. J Natl Cancer Inst 2012;104:1-14