Table 4.
Heterogeneity of the association of EBV serostatus and category of EBV antibody titer with risk of NHL, by major histologic subtype
| Exposure | Controls, n | CLL/SLL |
DLBCL |
FL |
P for heterogeneity† | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases, n | RR* (95% CI) | Cases, n | RR* (95% CI) | Cases, n | RR* (95% CI) | |||
| EBV serostatus | .35 | |||||||
| Positive | 629 | 71 | Ref | 59 | Ref | 52 | Ref | |
| Negative | 33 | 8 | 2.09 (0.90-4.86) | 7 | 2.38 (0.98-5.76) | 2 | 0.73 (0.17-3.19) | |
| Anti–EBNA-1, titer‡ | .07 | |||||||
| < 320 | 505 | 59 | Ref | 51 | Ref | 37 | Ref | |
| ≥ 320 | 124 | 12 | 0.78 (0.40-1.50) | 8 | 0.67 (0.31-1.48) | 15 | 1.80 (0.95-3.44) | |
| Anti–EBNA-2, titer‡ | .08 | |||||||
| < 80 | 512 | 50 | Ref | 46 | Ref | 46 | Ref | |
| ≥ 80 | 117 | 21 | 1.74 (0.99-3.05) | 13 | 1.15 (0.59-2.24) | 6 | 0.55 (0.23-1.33) | |
| Anti-VCA‡ | .56 | |||||||
| < 10 240 | 553 | 59 | Ref | 52 | Ref | 45 | Ref | |
| ≥ 10 240 | 76 | 12 | 1.58 (0.79-3.14) | 7 | 0.94 (0.40-2.20) | 7 | 1.02 (0.44-2.39) | |
| Anti-EA, titer‡ | .13 | |||||||
| < 640 | 525 | 64 | Ref | 45 | Ref | 42 | Ref | |
| ≥ 640 | 104 | 7 | 0.54 (0.24-1.22) | 14 | 1.54 (0.80-2.96) | 10 | 1.08 (0.52-2.24) | |
| EBNA-1/EBNA-2 ratio‡ | .82 | |||||||
| > 1.0 | 424 | 42 | Ref | 35 | Ref | 32 | Ref | |
| ≤ 1.0 | 205 | 29 | 1.52 (0.91-2.55) | 24 | 1.29 (0.74-2.27) | 20 | 1.21 (0.66-2.21) | |
EBV indicates Epstein-Barr virus; NHL, non-Hodgkin lymphoma; DLBCL, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; CLL/SLL, chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma; FL, follicular lymphoma; EBNA, Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen; VCA, viral capsid antigen; EA, early antigen; RR, rate ratio; and CI, confidence interval.
*
Unconditional logistic regression adjusting for the matching factors (sex/study, age, race, month and year of blood draw, fasting status).
†
P for heterogeneity of effects.
‡
Among EBV-seropositive subjects only.