Does Epstein - Barr Virus Cross Talks with Sex Hormone Receptors on Lymphoid Cells Differently to Produce Lymphoma?

Ahed J Alkhatib*

It has been recently reported that the idea of cross-talks between hormone receptors including estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in breast cancer to have significant impacts on breast cancer. The interactions of Epstein - Barr virus (EBV) and lymphoma have been previously demonstrated by many studies including ours. In this study, we aimed to examine the hypothesis that “EBV crosstalk with sex hormones plays a role in directing the type of lymphoma, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (HL) or non –Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL)”. We studied the expression of sex hormones, ER, and PR in addition to EBV in lymphoma cases representing HL and NHL. Immunoperoxidase staining was used to assess the expression of these biomarkers in lymphoma cases. The findings of our study showed that EBV cross talks with ER significantly associated with HL (p<0.05), while its talk with PR was significantly associated with NHL (p<0.05).
Conclusions: The results of the present study showed that EBV may work as the maestro of an orchestra and leads the events of lymphoma through different crosstalk with sex hormones. This may open the door for new therapeutic options for lymphoma.