RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Epstein-Barr virus DNA in nasopharyngeal carcinomas from Chinese patients in Hong Kong.
JF Journal of Clinical Pathology
JO J Clin Pathol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Association of Clinical Pathologists
SP 396
OP 397
DO 10.1136/jcp.45.5.396
VO 45
IS 5
A1 P Dickens
A1 G Srivastava
A1 S L Loke
A1 C W Chan
A1 Y T Liu
YR 1992
UL http://jcp.bmj.com/content/45/5/396.abstract
AB AIMS: To investigate the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in Chinese patients living in Hong Kong. METHODS: Nasopharyngeal biopsy specimens, formalin fixed and paraffin wax embedded, from 24 patients, eight with undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma, eight with well differentiated squamous carcinoma, and eight showing normal tissue histology, were analysed for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA by slot-blot hybridisation on extracted unamplified DNA, and also after amplification of EBV specific sequences by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: DNA slot-blot analysis showed viral DNA in all the undifferentiated, five of the well differentiated tumours, and none of the normal biopsy specimens. PCR studies confirmed positivity in the eight undifferentiated tumours, but six of the well differentiated tumours and three of the normal biopsy specimens showed viral DNA by this method, illustrating its greater sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: EBV genome is present in appreciable copy number in most cases of well differentiated NPC in Chinese patients in Hong Kong.