Gastric Carcinoma and Epstein-Barr Virus Association (EBVaGC): Pusan Kyungnam Area

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To report on the incidence of EBVaGC and its associated clinical and pathological characteristics. METHODS: Between Nov. 1998 and Mar. 2000, 183 gastric cancers were resected, and the histology and lymphocytes infiltration reviewed. The EBVaGC was determined by EBER ISH, along with the clinical characteristics, such as sex distribution, tumor location, ABO blood group, status of H. pylori and postop survival. RESULTS: Out of 183 gastric adenocarcinomas 10 were EBVaGCs (5.5%), 7/129 males and 3/54 females. The incidences of EBVaGC, according to the WHO histology, were 7.1% (4/56) for tub. po, 9.3% (4/43) tub. mo, 4.1% (2/48) tub. well, 0/11 muc., 0/3 pap. and 0/22 sig. types. The incidences of EGVaGC, in relation to the severity of lymphocytic infiltration of tumor, were 0% (0/141) for Less- than-minimal, 21% (8/38) for Moderate and 50% (2/4) for Severe infiltration of the lymphocytes (P=0.000). The incidences of EGVaGC, according to the location of gastric cancer, were 26.3% (5/19), 7.3% (3/41) and 1.8% (2/110) for the upper, middle and lower stomach, respectively (P= 0.000). The incidences of EBVaGC were 3.1% (3/96) for stages I-II and 8% (7/87) for stages III-IV. The blood type distributions of the EBVaGCs, by the ABO blood group system were 3 A type, 6 B type, no O type and 1 AB type compared with 42.8% (74), 27.1% (47), 19.6% (34) and 10.5% (18) of A, B, O and AB with the 173 non EBVaGC P=0.079). The H. pylori status was positive in 9/10 EBVaGC, and in 157/163 (96.3%) of the non-EBVaGC. The survivals of the EBVaGC and non EBVaGC were 80 and 61.4% (105/171), rspectively. CONCLUSION: The incidence of EBVaGC was 5.5%. There was no difference in the sex ratio with EBV ( )ve gastric cancer. Six out of the 10 EBVaGC were ABO blood group B.