title: Association of Epstein-Barr virus with invasive breast carcinoma and its impact on well-known clinicopathologic parameters in Iranian women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The association between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and breast carcinoma in Iranian women is uncertain. We examined EBV latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1) antigen expression in breast carcinoma and its relationship with clinicopathologic parameters among a population of Iranian patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was performed on formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tissue specimens with a diagnosis of invasive breast carcinoma archived at one university hospital in Isfahan city, Iran. We used immunohistochemistry to detect LMP-1 of EBV in carcinoma and its adjacent normal tissue. The frequency of LMP-1 expression in breast carcinoma and its relationship with age, tumor size, tumor type, tumor grade and lymph node status were then determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 80 cases were evaluated including 77 (96.3%) ductal, 1 (1.3%) lobular, 1 (1.3%) medullary and 1 (1.3%) mucinous carcinoma. LMP-1 expression was seen in 6 cases (7.5%) of breast carcinoma whereas normal breast tissue adjacent to carcinoma was negative for LMP-1 in all of the cases. A statistically significant association was seen between EBV and invasive breast carcinoma (P = 0.03). No significant relationship was observed between LMP-1 expression on one hand and age, tumor size, tumor type, tumor grade and lymph node status on the other.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EBV may play an etiological role in some of the cases of breast carcinoma in Iranian women. EBV expression does not seem to have a significant impact on the major clinicopathologic prognostic determinants of breast carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Fereshteh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mohammadizadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Mojtaba
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zarean
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Nursery and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abbasi
keywords: Breast carcinoma; Epstein-Barr virus; latent membrane protein-1 antigen