Premium
Association of p53 and BCL‐2 expression with Epstein‐Barr virus infection in the cancers of head and neck
Author(s) -
Yang Hui Jun,
Cho Young Jun,
Kim Hee Sung,
Chang Mee Soo,
Sung MyungWhun,
Kim Woo Ho
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.1089
Subject(s) - nasopharyngeal carcinoma , carcinogenesis , epstein–barr virus , epidermal growth factor receptor , immunohistochemistry , virus , pathology , in situ hybridization , biology , carcinoma , cancer research , medicine , gene , gene expression , virology , receptor , biochemistry , radiation therapy
Background Reports that have both evaluated the site‐specific Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) infection and compared it with the expression of the EBV‐related proto‐oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in the various cancers of head and neck are scarce. Methods Thirty‐eight nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cases, 32 oropharyngeal or hypopharyngeal carcinoma (OPC/HPC) cases, and 93 laryngeal carcinoma (LC) cases were evaluated with in situ hybridization on EBV‐encoded small RNA (EBER) and immunohistochemical assessments of the p53, bcl‐2, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) by use of formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissue array slides. Results The expression of viral EBERs was observed in more than two thirds (71.1%) of the NPC cases. In contrast, only 1 case of OPC and none of the HPC or LC cases exhibited EBV positivity. In the nonkeratinizing NPC, the EBV positivity was significantly associated with both frequent p53 overexpression ( p = .033) and bcl‐2 expression ( p = .001). In the EBV‐positive nonkeratinizing NPC, a correlation between p53 overexpression and the tumor infiltration lymphocyte (TIL) density was noted ( p = .012). Conclusions A site‐specific expression of viral EBER was demonstrated in the head and neck cancers, which suggests an important role for both p53 and bcl‐2 in the carcinogenesis of an EBV‐infected NPC. The correlation between p53 overexpression and the TIL density in the EBV‐infected NPC suggests that the product of a lymphoepithelial interaction, such as A20, can induce a dysfunctional p53 protein. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Head Neck 23: 629–636, 2001.