Clonal Epstein-Barr virus in lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the lung.
Lymphoepithelioma of the nasopharynx is an undifferentiated carcinoma with a prominent lymphoid infiltrate. A consistent association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been demonstrated over the years by a variety of methods. More recently, undifferentiated carcinomas with a similar morphology have been described in other anatomical locations, often of foregut origin. However, for lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma, the association with EBV has been more tenuous, especially in Western countries. Interestingly, these tumors have shown a geographic distribution similar to nasopharyngeal lymphoepithelioma, with relatively high frequency of EBV positive cases in Asian patients. We report five cases of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma arising in the lung. In situ hybridization revealed the presence of EBV in all cases with localization to the epithelial cells only. Southern-blot analysis from two cases revealed the presence of clonal episomal EBV in the tumor tissue. These findings further support the hypothesis that EBV is also associated with lymphoepithelioma-like lung carcinomas and suggest that EBV infection has preceded the clonal expansion of the tumor.
Pittaluga
S
S
Department of Pathology, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital.
Wong
M P
MP
Chung
L P
LP
Loke
S L
SL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D016679:Genome, Viral; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D004279:DNA, Viral