Molecular Detection of Epstein-Barr Virus in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has been closely associated with the oncogenic virus, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). Its latent membrane protein‑1 (LMP‑1) has been particularly implicated in the molecular induction of latency in premalignant epithelial cells, initiation and development of NPC through various signaling pathways. The main aim of the study is the detection of LMP-1 gene in formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue blocks (PETB) of histologically diagnosed NPC at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria from January 1992 to December 2013. Materials and Methods: The PETB of 43 previously diagnosed NPC were retrieved and real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used for EBV LMP-1 detection. Tissue sections were deparaffinized with xylene and ethanol, DNA extracted using QIAamp® DNA FFPE Tissue kit, Qiagen (Hamburg, Germany) and was quantified using NanoDrop. The amplicons were subjected to gel electrophoresis to detect the specific amplified product for LMP-1 gene. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26. Results: The result showed a male predominance with ratio 2.9:1, a wide age range of 6 years to 83 years, a mean age of 42.8 years, median age of 45 years and a unimodal age group of 40-49 years. EBV LMP-1 was positive in 16 (37.2%) of cases, 14 (32.6%) of these were of the Nonkeratinizing Carcinoma (NKC) subtype while 2 (4.7%) were Keratinizing Squamous Cell Carcinoma (KSCC). Conclusion: The study provides evidence of the association of EBV LMP-1 with NPC and might prove useful as a
diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic tool in the management of NPC.