Epstein-Barr virus-associated adenocarcinomas and squamous-cell lung carcinomas.
The association of Epstein-Barr virus with pulmonary neoplasms has been restricted to lymphoepithelioma-like carcinomas in Asian patients. We have selected 19 pulmonary adenocarcinomas and squamous-cell carcinomas from 1545 pulmonary neoplasms diagnosed from 1996 to 2007 in an occidental population. All of them showed a low-power appearance confusing between an epithelial and a lymphoid neoplasm, with a dense lymphocytic infiltrate intermingled with neoplastic cells giving an image akin to lymphoepithelial complexes. Five carcinomas presented typical features of Lymphoepithelioma-like lung carcinomas; but six cases could be classified as squamous-cell carcinomas and eight as adenocarcinomas. A semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction method, Early RNA genes 1 and 2 in situ hybridization as well as Latent membrane protein immunostaining for Epstein-Barr virus DNA, RNA and protein detection methods were used in every case. None of Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinomas showed positivity for Epstein-Barr virus in any used method. Otherwise four squamous-cell carcinomas and eight adenocarcinomas (12 cases) demonstrated viral sequences in polymerase chain reaction and/or in situ hybridization analysis in neoplastic cells. Moreover two adenocarcinomas also displayed human herpesvirus 6 DNA sequences coamplification in molecular analysis. Protein immunostaining was focally positive in only three cases. We performed the same analysis in 70 more cases of conventional pulmonary squamous-cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas that gave negative results. In conclusion, a subset of pulmonary squamous-cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas show Epstein-Barr DNA and/or RNA sequences in neoplastic cells. This finding expands the spectra of epithelial cell common tumours Epstein-Barr virus associated.
Gómez-Román
Jose Javier
JJ
Departamento de Anatomía Patológica, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla Servicio Cántabro de Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain. apagrj@humv.es
Martínez
Montserrat Nicolás
MN
Fernández
Servando Lazuén
SL
Val-Bernal
Jose Fernando
JF
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000821:virology*; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification
D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral