Histology-specific gender, age and tumor-location distributions of Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinoma in Japan.
We examined 1,918 Japanese gastric cancer cases diagnosed during the period 1976-1995 to clarify histology-specific gender, age and tumor-location distributions of Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinoma (EBV-GC). EBV-GCs accounted for 4.5% and 6.1% of 1,088 intestinal-type and 830 diffuse-type gastric carcinomas, respectively. Both intestinal- and diffuse-type EBV-GCs showed male predominance, but the observed gender difference was statistically significant only in diffuse-type carcinomas (P<0.001). An age-dependent decrease of the EBV-GC proportion was observed in intestinal-type carcinomas (P=0.002), but not in diffuse-type carcinomas. In intestinal-type tumors, the estimated incidence of EBV-GCs reached its peak around age 70. Diffuse-type EBV-GCs appeared to have a much older peak incidence, if any. Both intestinal- and diffuse-type EBV-GCs were least prevalent in the stomach antrum. This study, examining the largest number of EBV-GCs in current literature, showed different patterns of age-dependence in intestinal- and diffuse-type EBV-GCs, suggesting that pathogenic pathways of EBV-GCs may be different in these 2 histological types.
Department of Public Health, Center for Chronic Viral Diseases, Kagoshima University Faculty of Medicine, 8-1-35 Sakura-gaoka, Kagoshima 890-8520, Japan.
Chihaya
C
Koriyama
Suminori
S
Akiba
Alejandro
A
Corvalan
Edwin
E
Carrascal
Tetsuhiko
T
Itoh
Roberto
R
Herrera-Goepfert
Yoshito
Y
Eizuru
Masayoshi
M
Tokunaga
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*