Gastric Cancer
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Oct 21, 2005; 11(39): 6096-6103
Published online Oct 21, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i39.6096
Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinoma: Evidence of age-dependence among a Mexican population
Roberto Herrera-Goepfert, Suminori Akiba, Chihaya Koriyama, Shan Ding, Edgardo Reyes, Tetsuhiko Itoh, Yoshie Minakami, Yoshito Eizuru
Roberto Herrera-Goepfert, Department of Pathology, Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia, Mexico City, Mexico
Suminori Akiba, Chihaya Koriyama, Shan Ding, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan}
Edgardo Reyes, Department of Pathology, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Méicas y de la Nutrición "Salvador ZubiráN" Mexico City, Mexico
Tetsuhiko Itoh, Department of Pathology, Kagoshima Institute of Preventive Medicine, Kagoshima, Japan
Yoshie Minakami, Yoshito Eizuru, Division of Oncogenic and Persistent Viruses, Center for Chronic Viral Diseases, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by a Grant No. 12218231 from Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture of Japan
Correspondence to: Roberto Herrera-Goepfert, MD, Departamento de Patología Instituto Nacional de Cancerología , Av. San Fernando #22, Colonia Sección XVI, Tlalpan, MVI, Tlalpan, Méicoico DF 14080, Mexico. rhgoepfert@yahoo.com.mx
Telephone: +52-55-5628-0466 Fax: +52-55-5573-4662
Received: April 15, 2005
Revised: May 23, 2005
Accepted: May 24, 2005
Published online: October 21, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To investigate features of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric carcinoma (EBVaGC) among a Mexican population.

METHODS: Cases of primary gastric adenocarcinoma were retrieved from the files of the Departments of Pathology at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología and the Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición in Mexico City. The anatomic site of the gastric neoplasia was identified, and carcinomas were histologically classified as intestinal and diffuse types and subclassified as proposed by the Japanese Research Society for Gastric Cancer. EBV-encoded small non-polyadenylated RNA-1 (EBER-1) in situ hybridization was conducted to determine the presence of EBV in neoplastic cells.

RESULTS: We studied 330 consecutive, non-selected, primary gastric carcinomas. Among these, there were 173 male and 157 female patients (male/female ratio 1.1/1). EBER-1 was detected in 24 (7.3%) cases (male/female ratio: 1.2/1). The mean age for the entire group was 58.1 years (range: 20-88 years), whereas the mean age for patients harboring EBER-1-positive gastric carcinomas was 65.3 years (range: 50-84 years). Age and histological type showed statistically significant differences, when EBER-1-positive and -negative gastric carcinomas were compared. EBER-1 was detected in hyperplastic- and dysplastic-gastric mucosa surrounding two EBER-1-negative carcinomas, respectively.

CONCLUSION: Among Latin-American countries, Mexico has the lowest frequency of EBVaGC. Indeed, the Mexican population >50 years of age was selectively affected. Ethnic variations are responsible for the epidemiologic behavior of EBVaGC among the worldwide population.

Keywords: Epstein-Barr virus; Stomach; Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma; Gastric carcinoma; EBV-A; EBER-1; LMP-1