ADENOLYMPHOMA AND NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA OF THE SALIVARY-GLANDS AND ORAL CAVITY IN IMMUNOCOMPETENT PATIENTS ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH LATENT EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS

The presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was studied in specimens of 5 0 primary non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) of the salivary gland and the oral cavity and II solitary adenolymphomas of the parotid gland, using EBER-1/2 in situ hybridisation and by immunohistochemistry for the de tection of latent membrane-protein-1 (LMP-I). None of the patients wer e tested for HIV-infection, nor were there any clinical signs to suspe ct HIV-infection. In one adenolymphoma, few reactive EBER-1/2 positive cells were detected. In this case staining for LMP-1 was negative. In one oral B-cell NHL, EBER-1/2 positive lymphoma cells were identified ; these cells also expressed LMP-1. None of the 31 oral (30 B-cell and one T-cell) and 18 salivary gland (all B-cell) NHLs and none of the 1 0 adenolymphomas were EBER-1/2 positive or expressed LMP-1. These resu lts indicate that EBV is not involved in the pathogenesis of oral and salivary gland primary NHL and adenolymphoma in immunocompetent patien ts. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.