EBV-Associated Smooth Muscle Tumors With Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia and Hepatitis B Infection: Report of a Previously Undescribed Neoplasm With Review

Int J Surg Pathol. 2024 Jan 2:10668969231217631. doi: 10.1177/10668969231217631. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Epstein-Barr virus-associated smooth muscle tumor (EBV-SMT) is rare in adults. The presence of intratumoral T lymphocytes and primitive rounded cells characterized this neoplasm. We report a 24-year-old Chinese man who developed EBV-SMT in the right adrenal gland with hepatitis B infection and autoimmune hemolytic anemia without a history of HIV infection, primary immune deficiency, organ transplantation, or malignant tumor. This patient had an unknown immunodeficient state. EBV-SMTs are commonly located in the liver, lung, and gastrointestinal tract but rarely in the adrenal gland. We reviewed 10 reported literature on EBV-SMT in the adrenal gland. It is imperative to distinguish EBV-SMT from conventional somatic smooth muscle tumors. The discovery of EBV-SMT forces the clinician to conduct a thorough evaluation of immune function and immune status surveillance, and these patients are vulnerable to subsequent malignant tumors.

Keywords: Epstein-Barr virus; autoimmune hemolytic anemia; hepatitis B; leiomyoma; smooth muscle tumor.