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Pathogenesis and FDG-PET/CT findings of Epstein–Barr virus-related lymphoid neoplasms

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Abstract

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is one of the most common viruses, infecting more than 90% of the adult population worldwide. EBV genome is detected in some lymphoid neoplasms. Not only their histopathological subtypes, but also their backgrounds and their clinical courses are variable. A number of B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders associated with the immunocompromised state are related to EBV infection. The incidences of these disorders have been increasing along with generalization of organ transplantations and use of immunosuppressive treatments. Furthermore, some EBV-positive lymphoma can also occur in immunocompetent patients. While evaluating patients with generalized lymphadenopathy of unknown cause by positron emission tomography/computed tomography with 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-glucose (FDG-PET/CT), the possibility of lymphoid neoplasms should be considered in some patients, and a careful review of the background and previous history of the patients is necessary. In this review article, we describe the pathogenesis of EBV-related lymphoid neoplasms and then present FDG-PET/CT images of representative diseases. In addition, we also present a review of other EBV-related diseases, such as infectious mononucleosis and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

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Acknowledgements

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The authors also have no grant funding or any financial relationships to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8519, Japan

    Akira Toriihara, Masashi Nakadate & Ukihide Tateishi

  2. Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan

    Reiko Nakajima & Koichiro Abe

  3. Department of Hematology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

    Ayako Arai

  4. Department of Laboratory Molecular Genetics of Hematology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

    Ayako Arai

  5. Department of Medical Informatics, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

    Kazunori Kubota

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  1. Akira Toriihara
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Correspondence to Akira Toriihara.

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Toriihara, A., Nakajima, R., Arai, A. et al. Pathogenesis and FDG-PET/CT findings of Epstein–Barr virus-related lymphoid neoplasms. Ann Nucl Med 31, 425–436 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-017-1180-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-017-1180-5

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