TNF and rheumatoid arthritis: The present study aimed to determine the EBV viral load and the specific effector CD8+ T-cell response against EBV antigens in patients with RA and spondylarthropathy (SpA) receiving MTX or anti-TNF drugs, to shed some light on a possible impaired EBV-specific T-cell response as the triggering mechanism of lymphomagenesis in this population.