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.