Elevated antibody titers to Epstein-Barr virus prior to the diagnosis of Epstein-Barr-virus-associated gastric adenocarcinoma.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has recently been identified in the tumor cells of patients with gastric carcinoma. We tested pre-morbid serum samples from a carefully monitored cohort of Japanese men in order to investigate the possibility that patients with EBV-associated gastric cancer represent a sub-set of individuals with long-standing difficulties in appropriately managing EBV infection. From a serum bank, we obtained 108 samples derived from 54 patients destined to develop gastric adenocarcinoma and 54 controls. Samples were tested under code for antibodies to EBV-capsid antigen, early antigen and nuclear antigen. Individuals who were positive for IgA antibodies against EBV viral-capsid antigen (VCA) and IgG antibodies against the R component of EBV early antigen were at a 3.9-fold and 1.9-fold excess risk of disease, respectively. Antibody titers to EBV VCA were significantly higher in those destined to get EBV-associated gastric cancer than those subsequently developing non-EBV-associated gastric cancer or age-and-gender-matched controls. These findings suggest that the inability to control EBV infection on a long-term basis exists many years prior to the development of EBV-associated gastric cancer, and that EBV may play an etiologic role in this sub-set of malignancies.
Epidemiology Branch and Biostatistics Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892.
P H
PH
Levine
G
G
Stemmermann
E T
ET
Lennette
A
A
Hildesheim
D
D
Shibata
A
A
Nomura
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology*; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology*; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; C041788:Epstein-Barr viral capsid antigen; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G