EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS (EBV) IN MALAYSIAN UPPER-AERODIGESTIVE-TRACT LYMPHOMA - INCIDENCE AND SUB-TYPE

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) type B, a less potent transformer of B lympho cytes than type A, has rarely been detected in EBV-associated neoplasm s except in AIDS-related lymphomas, in which about 50% of the cases co ntained this sub-type. In this study we analyzed the association of EB V and the distribution of virus sub-types in Asian non-Hodgkin's lymph oma (NHL) of the upper aerodigestive tract. We studied archival materi al of 29 NHL cases from Malaysia. B- and T-cell associated antigens we re demonstrated by immunohistochemistry, and EBV early RNA EBER-I was demonstrated using the RNA in situ hybridization technique. EBV was de tected in the majority of tumour cells in 11/13 T-NHL but in only 1/16 B-NHL. EBV was sub-typed by single-step polymerase chain reaction of the EBNA-2. gene. This was successful in 9/10 cases of EBER-I-positive tumours and all contained type-A virus only. Our results showed a pre ponderance of T-cell lymphoma of the upper aerodigestive tract in the ethnic Chinese group of Malaysian patients, and EBV was strongly assoc iated with T-NHL but not with B-NHL. Our results suggest that type-A E BV is the prevalent sub-type in Asian NHL of the upper aerodigestive t ract, similarly to findings in Asian nasopharyngeal carcinoma. (C) 299 5 Wiley-Liss, Inc.