title: Prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus in oral squamous cell carcinomas, premalignant lesions and normal mucosa--a study using the polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) prevalence was assessed in 12 clinically normal oral mucosas, nine premalignant lesions, 36 oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) and a human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 positive cell line, derived from an OSCC studied. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with two pairs of primers with different sensitivities was used. With primers specific for the BamHIW repeat, EBV was found in 100% of OSCCs, in 77.8% of premalignant lesions and in 8.3% of clinically normal oral mucosas (P = 0.0001). Using primers specific for the single copy BNLF-1 gene, EBV was detected in 50% of OSCC and in none of the premalignant lesions. No statistically significant associations could be established among EBV presence and clinico-pathological data of OSCC. The cell line derived from an HPV/EBV-positive carcinoma did not reveal EBV DNA. The higher prevalence of EBV in OSCCs and premalignant lesions may be due to increased EBV shedding, possibly due to associated immunodepression in these patients, rather than its clonal presence in the neoplastic cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Hospital Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Van den Brule
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Steenbergen
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Snijders
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Meijer
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Walboomers
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Snow
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Van der Waal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000821:virology*; D004919:Erythroplasia / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000821:virology; D017676:Lichen Planus, Oral / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000821:virology*; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000821:virology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000821:virology