Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1993 Oct;46(10):931–935. doi: 10.1136/jcp.46.10.931

Epstein-Barr virus in normal, pre-malignant, and malignant lesions of the uterine cervix.

R J Landers 1, J J O'Leary 1, M Crowley 1, I Healy 1, P Annis 1, L Burke 1, D O'Brien 1, J Hogan 1, W F Kealy 1, F A Lewis 1, et al.
PMCID: PMC501621  PMID: 8227411

Abstract

AIM--To detect the presence or absence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in cervical lesions ranging from normality to invasive malignancy. METHODS--Eighteen randomly selected cases of invasive squamous cell carcinomas of the uterine cervix were examined as well as 25 cases each of normal cervices and those showing cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) I, II, and III. DNA-DNA in situ hybridisation, using a biotinylated probe to the Bam H1 "W" fragment of EBV, was carried out in addition to the polymerase chain reaction using specific primer sequences that flank a 153 base pair segment of the Bam H1 "W" region of the EBV genome and which do not cross-amplify other DNA herpes viruses. Positive control material included paraffin wax embedded P3 HR1 lymphoblastoid cells (containing high copy numbers of EBV) and two nasopharyngeal carcinomas positive for EBV. RESULTS--Neither normal nor CIN I tissue was positive. Eight per cent of CIN II tissue was positive; 8% of CIN III, and 43% of carcinomas were positive for EBV. CONCLUSION--The study shows that the virus is present in some cases of cervical carcinoma and to a lesser degree in some premalignant lesions of the cervix, but the exact association between it and cervical oncogenesis, be it causative or incidental, remains to be determined.

Full text

PDF
932

Images in this article

932Image
on p.932
933Image
on p.933
933Image
on p.933
934Image
on p.934

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Brichácek B., Hirsch I., Síbl O., Vilikusová E., Vonka V. Association of some supraglottic laryngeal carcinomas with EB virus. Int J Cancer. 1983 Aug 15;32(2):193–197. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910320209. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brichácek B., Hirsch I., Síbl O., Vilikusová E., Vonka V. Presence of Epstein-Barr virus DNA in carcinomas of the palatine tonsil. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1984 Apr;72(4):809–815. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Coates P. J., d'Ardenne A. J., Khan G., Kangro H. O., Slavin G. Simplified procedures for applying the polymerase chain reaction to routinely fixed paraffin wax sections. J Clin Pathol. 1991 Feb;44(2):115–118. doi: 10.1136/jcp.44.2.115. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Kessler I. I. Etiological concepts in cervical carcinogenesis. Gynecol Oncol. 1981 Oct;12(2 Pt 2):S7–24. doi: 10.1016/0090-8258(81)90059-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Kovacs J. A., Gill V., Swan J. C., Ognibene F., Shelhamer J., Parrillo J. E., Masur H. Prospective evaluation of a monoclonal antibody in diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Lancet. 1986 Jul 5;2(8497):1–3. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(86)92555-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Lewis F. A., Griffiths S., Dunnicliff R., Wells M., Dudding N., Bird C. C. Sensitive in situ hybridisation technique using biotin-streptavidin-polyalkaline phosphatase complex. J Clin Pathol. 1987 Feb;40(2):163–166. doi: 10.1136/jcp.40.2.163. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Leyvraz S., Henle W., Chahinian A. P., Perlmann C., Klein G., Gordon R. E., Rosenblum M., Holland J. F. Association of Epstein-Barr virus with thymic carcinoma. N Engl J Med. 1985 May 16;312(20):1296–1299. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198505163122006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Nonoyama M., Huang C. H., Pagano J. S., Klein G., Singh S. DNA of Epstein-Barr virus detected in tissue of Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 Nov;70(11):3265–3268. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.11.3265. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Saemundsen A. K., Albeck H., Hansen J. P., Nielsen N. H., Anvret M., Henle W., Henle G., Thomsen K. A., Kristensen H. K., Klein G. Epstein-Barr virus in nasopharyngeal and salivary gland carcinomas of Greenland Eskimoes. Br J Cancer. 1982 Nov;46(5):721–728. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1982.264. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Sixbey J. W., Vesterinen E. H., Nedrud J. G., Raab-Traub N., Walton L. A., Pagano J. S. Replication of Epstein-Barr virus in human epithelial cells infected in vitro. Nature. 1983 Dec 1;306(5942):480–483. doi: 10.1038/306480a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Zeng Y., Gi Z. W., Ito Y. Epstein-Barr virus activation by human semen principle: synergistic effect of culture fluids of bacteria isolated from patients with carcinoma of uterine cervix. Cancer Lett. 1985 Sep 30;28(3):311–315. doi: 10.1016/0304-3835(85)90040-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES