ABSENCE OF EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS IN MEDULLARY CARCINOMA OF THE BREAST ASDEMONSTRATED BY IMMUNOPHENOTYPING, IN-SITU HYBRIDIZATION AND POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

Medullary carcinoma of the breast is an epithelial malignant prolifera tion that shares many characteristics (macroscopic, microscopic, epide miologic, and prognostic) with lymphoepithelioma-like carcinomas of va rious sites. The authors hypothesized that they could also share the s ame etiologic agent, the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Epstein-Barr virus, a virus of the herpesvirus family, is to be associated with lymphoepi thelioma-like carcinomas of the nasopharynx, stomach, lung, thymus, an d salivary gland. Therefore, the authors looked far the virus in a ser ies of 10 medullary carcinomas of the breast. Using immunohistochemist ry, in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction, this investig ation failed to show evidence of EBV. Similar negative results have be en reported in lymphoepithelioma-like carcinomas arising in the skin a nd in the uterine cervix, which like the breast do not originate in th e foregut. These results suggest that the pathogenesis of these tumors is not unique, implicating probably different etiopathogenic entities .