Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract: An immunohistochemical analysis demonstrating latent Epstein-Barr virus in a subset of eight cases.

ABSTRACT

Background: Sarcomatoid or spindle cell carcinomas are rare malignancies which are considered as a poorly differentiated variant of squamous cell carcinoma. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with a wide variety of malignancies. Materials and Methods: We examined the expression of EBV latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1) and EBV EBNA-2 as well as the immunohistochemical profile of AE-1/AE-3, vimentin, desmin, CK 5-6, smooth muscle actin (SMA), p63, S-100, p53 and CD-117 with the clinicopathological correlation of eight patients of sarcomatoid carcinoma (SC) in the upper aerodigestive tract. Results: Four cases showed EBV LMP-1 positivity (50%) and there was no EBV EBNA-2 positivity. However, the EBV LMP-1 results of our series could be considered only as a coincidental finding in the SCs of the upper aerodigestive tract. Conclusions: This finding supports the idea that further studies based on larger series might be helpful enlighting the role played by EBV in carcinogenesis of SC.