If peripheral T cell lymphoma or T cell lymphomas of follicular helper origin are considered in the differential diagnosis, the following panel is recommended: pan T cell antigens, CD4, CD8, one or more follicular dendritic cell markers, and assessment for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, preferably EBV encoded RNA (EBER) as assessed by in situ hybridization When the differential diagnosis includes nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma, recommended additional studies include OCT2, CD21 and/or CD23, PD1, and assessment for EBV infection.
Cloning of the CD23-positive and -negative populations showed that EBV infection in the majority of clones was lost, with only 29 out of the 164 investigated still EBNA positive after 6 months of culture.
In contrast, the proportion of CD20+/CD23+ B lymphocytes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was not significantly different in the patients with EBV-related disorders and those with latent asymptomatic EBV infection.