Korean J Obstet Gynecol.  2000 Feb;43(2):184-191.

The Prevalence of Epstein-Barr Virus in Uterine Cervical Cancer: Detection by PCR and In Situ PCR Methods

• Kim IS
• Kang JS
• Choi AN
• Kim YS

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Uterine cervical cancer is the most common malignant tumor in Korean women. Human papillomaviruses are associated in 85-90% of the cases. However, other cofactors are considered to be important in carcinogenesis. There is an evidence that the uterine cervix is the site of shedding of the Epstein-Barr viruses(EBV). Furthermore the virus has been detected in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive carcinoma of the uterine cervix. We studied to evaluate the role of EBV in cervical carcinogenesis.
METHODS
Non-neoplastic cervices(12), carcinoma in situ(32), microinvasive squamous cell carcinomas(9), invasive squamous cell carcinomas(37) and adenocarcinomas and adenosquamous carcinomas(14) were studied for EBV infection. PCR and in situ PCR for EBNA-1 were done and subtyping was done using PCR for EBNA 3C.
RESULTS
In non-neoplastic cervix, EBV was detected in 16.7% by PCR and found in normal epithelial cells and lymphocytes in in situ PCR. By PCR technique, EBV was detected in 65.6% of CIS, 66.3% and 51.4% of microinvasive and invasive squamous cell carcinomas, 57.1% of adenocarcinomas and adenosquamous carcinomas. EBV subtyping was done in EBV positive cases by PCR and all showed type 1.
CONCLUSION
EBV was detected in higher frequency in cervical cancer than in non-neoplastic cervix. However the frequency was not correlated to the invasion depth and histologic types of cervical carcinomas. EBV was detected in tumor cells as well as normal epithelial cells and lymphocytes also. It was suggested that EBV may play a role in cervical cancers but the mechanism in carcinogenesis remains to be solved.

Keyword

Epstein-Barr virus; PCR; In situ PCR; Uterine cervical cancer

MeSH Terms

Adenocarcinoma
Carcinogenesis
Carcinoma, Adenosquamous
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia
Cervix Uteri
Epithelial Cells
Epstein-Barr Virus Infections
Female
Herpesvirus 4, Human*
Humans
Lymphocytes
Polymerase Chain Reaction*
Prevalence*
Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*