Epstein-Barr virus in gastric carcinomas with lymphoid stroma

Aims: To clarify the relationship between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and gastric carcinoma with lymphoid stroma (GCLS) in Koreans, and to characterize the EBV-positive GCLS. Methods and results: EBV infection was examined using EBER in-situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction in 45 cases of GCLS among Koreans, and in 292 consecutive cases of gastric carcinomas without lymphoid stroma (non-GCLS) as controls, EBV infection was found in 30 tumours (67%) of GCLS and 10 tumours (3.4%) of non-GCLS (P < 0.05), EBV-positive GCLS was more prevalent in males, poorly differentiated histological type and diffuse type in Lauren's classification, and tended to be located more in the: middle third of the stomach than EBV-negative GCLS (P < 0.05), p53 overexpression was observed in 22% of GCLS (17% of EBV-positive GCLS and 33% of EBV-negative GCLS), and 34% of non-GCLS (EBV-positive GCLS vs. non-GCLS: P = 0.056). The survival of the patient with GCLS was not correlated with EBV infection or p53 immunoexpression (follow-up period: 11-97 months). Conclusions: GCLS in Koreans is strongly associated with EBV infection, The prognosis in GCLS is not dependent upon either the status of EBV infection or the status of p53 immunoexpression.