Epstein‐barr virus is localized in the tumour cells of nasal lymphomas of NK, T or B cell type

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Abstract
Seven cases of nasal lymphoma were studied to identify the lineage of Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)+ cells using dual‐labelling methods. Five cases were phenotypically and genotypically of natural killer cell (NK) type with germ‐line configuration of T‐cell receptor (TcR) β‐chain gene and immunoglobulin heavy‐chain joining region (lg/H) gene, with one case each of T‐ and B‐cell type showing rearranged TcRβ or lg/H and Λ‐light chain genes respectively. EBV genome was clonal in all these cases except in the B‐cell case where its clonality was undeterminable. Using in situ hybridization (ISH) for EBV‐encoded small nuclear RNA 1 and 2 (EBER), signal was detected in 45% to 88% of nucleated cells in the tumours. Immunostaining for EBV latent membrane protein‐1 (LMP) also revealed numerous LMP+ cells in 3/5 NK‐type cases and the T‐ and B‐cell cases. Using ISH for EBER combined with immunostaining for CD markers and double immunohistochemistry for LMP and CD markers, the predominant lineage of the EBV+ cells was identified as: CD2+CD3−CD19−CD20‐ CD45R0+CD56+CD68‐ in the NK‐type cases, CD2+CD3+CD19−CD20− CD45R0+CD56−CD68− in the T‐cell case and CD20+CD45R0−CD68‐ in the B‐cell case, in agreement with the genotype and phenotype of each tumour. These results show that, in EBV+ nasal lymphomas of NK, T‐ or B‐cell lineage, EBV was consistently associated with the tumour‐cell population and support the view that EBV serves a promoting role in the pathogenesis of different types of EBV+ nasal lymphoma.

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