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Epstein‐barr virus (EBV) in malaysian upper‐aerodigestive‐tract lymphoma: Incidence and sub‐type
Author(s) -
Peh Suat C.,
Sandvej Kristian,
Pallesen Gorm
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910610309
Subject(s) - epstein–barr virus , lymphoma , virus , nasopharyngeal carcinoma , virology , gammaherpesvirinae , pathology , biology , medicine , herpesviridae , viral disease , radiation therapy
Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) type B, a less potent transformer of B lymphocytes than type A, has rarely been detected in EBV‐associated neoplasms except in AIDS‐related lymphomas, in which about 50% of the cases contained this sub‐type. In this study we analyzed the association of EBV and the distribution of virus sub‐types in Asian non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of the upper aerodigestive tract. We studied archival material of 29 NHL cases from Malaysia. B‐ and T‐cell associated antigens were demonstrated by immunohistochemistry, and EBV early RNA EBER‐1 was demonstrated using the RNA in situ hybridization technique. EBV was detected in the majority of tumour cells in 11/13 T‐NHL but in only 1/16 B‐NHL. EBV was sub‐typed by single‐step polymerase chain reaction of the EBNA‐2 gene. This was successful in 9/10 cases of EBER‐I‐positive tumours and all contained type‐A virus only. Our results showed a preponderance of T‐cell lymphoma of the upper aerodigestive tract in the ethnic Chinese group of Malaysian patients, and EBV was strongly associated with T‐NHL but not with B‐NHL. Our results suggest that type‐A EBV is the prevalent sub‐type in Asian NHL of the upper aerodigestive tract, similarly to findings in Asian nasopharyngeal carcinoma. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc .