Two cases of EBV infection preceding lymphoma

Infection of lymphocytes with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a well-documented risk factor for developing lymphoma. The incidence of EBV positivity in lymphoma depends on the subtype and can range from 10% in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) to 100% in endemic Burkitt lymphoma (BL), (Shannon-Lowe and Rickinson, Front Oncol 9:713, 2019). However, in most cases, EBV infection remains unnoticed until diagnosis of lymphoma is made. EBV seropositivity is present in > 90% of the world’s population. Although mostly asymptomatic, in some cases, EBV can cause clinical symptoms, the most common of which are fever, lymphadenopathy and pharyngitis in infectious mononucleosis. Less common presentations include lymphomatoid granulomatosis and mucocutaneous ulcer. Here we report two cases of patients, who were initially diagnosed with localized EBV infection and reactive B-cell proliferation. After B-cell-directed treatment, both patients developed overt lymphoma, in one case classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cHL) and in the other case angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL).