Ok, Chi YoungYe, QingLi, LingManyam, Ganiraju C.Deng, LijuanGoswami, Rashmi R.Wang, XiaoxiaoMontes-Moreno, SantiagoVisco, CarloTzankov, AlexandarDybkaer, KarenZhang, LiAbramson, JeremySohani, Aliyah R.Chiu, AprilOrazi, AttilioZu, YouliBhagat, GovindRichards, Kristy L.Hsi, Eric D.Choi, William W.L.van Krieken, J. HanHuh, JooryungPonzoni, MaurilioFerreri, Andrés J.M.Zhang, ShanxiangParsons, Ben M.Xu, MinaMøller, Michael B.Winter, Jane N.Piris, Miguel A.Xu-Monette, Zijun Y.Medeiros, L. JeffreyYoung, Ken H.2015-09-012015Ok, C. Y., Q. Ye, L. Li, G. C. Manyam, L. Deng, R. R. Goswami, X. Wang, et al. 2015. “Age cutoff for Epstein-Barr virus-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma–is it necessary?” Oncotarget 6 (16): 13933-13945.1949-2553http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:21462171Epstein-Barr virus-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the elderly (EBV+ DLBCL-e) is a molecularly distinct variant of DLBCL, characterized by a monoclonal B-cell proliferation that occurs in patients >50 years of age without a history or clinicopathologic evidence of immunodeficiency. However, patients with EBV+ DLBCL younger than 50-years-old also exist in Western countries. We evaluated the clinicopathologic, immunophenotypic and genetic features in Cacausian patients with EBV+ DLBCL who are ≤50 years of age and compared this patient group to patients who are >50 years. In patients who are ≤50 years, less frequent expression of BCL6 and a trend of more frequent expression of CD30 and pSTAT3 were found in patients with EBV+ DLBCL. In patients who are >50 years, common expression of CD30, p50, pSTAT3 and less frequent expression of BCL6 were observed. Older patients also more commonly had a poor performance status (ECOG≥2). Comparing EBV+ DLBCL patients in ≤50 years versus >50 years, both groups had similar clinicopathologic, immunophenotypic and genetic features. Gene expression profiling, microRNA profiling and treatment outcome of the younger patients with EBV+ DLBCL was not distinctive from tumors in older patients. Based on our data, we suggest that the arbitrary age cutoff for EBV+ DLBCL is unnecessary and should be eliminated in the WHO lymphoma classification scheme.en-USEBVDLBCLelderlygene expression profilingJournal Article2015-09-01