title: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in Malaysian upper-aerodigestive-tract lymphoma: incidence and sub-type.
abstract: 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-1-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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Peh
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sandvej
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pallesen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D015994:Incidence; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D010157:Palatal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D010255:Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens; D015534:Trans-Activators