Objectives: The aim of
this study is to detect Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma
(NPC) biopsies of Sudanese patients using EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) in Situ hybridization (EBER-ISH). Study
Design: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at the National
Center for ENT diseases and Head and Neck Surgery and the Institute of Endemic
Diseases, University of Khartoum, Khartoum City, Sudan. Subjects and Methods:
Biopsies from 43 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were examined for the
presence of Epstein-Barr virus using EBER-ISH. Ten normal samples were used to
assess the presence of the virus in non cancer tissues. Results: Fifty three
samples were examined for the presence of the virus by EBER-ISH, 43 biopsies
were NPC and ten were normal. Histologically the cases were, 20 (46.5%), 20
(46.5%) and 3 (7%) of the biopsies were classified as WHO types II, III and
mixed type II and III, respectively; there were no cases of type I NPC. All
nasopharyngeal carcinoma biopsies (100%) were positive for EBER1 in almost all
carcinoma cells with focal and intense dark-blue staining limited to the
nucleus; no hybridization was observed in the cytoplasm. No hybridization was
observed in all ten non cancer tissues. Conclusion: All NPC cells are clearly
EBV-infected. The virus is located in the nucleus of the tumour cells. The
presence of Epstein-Barr virus in normal nasopharyngeal epithelia is not a
common event. Objectives: The aim of this study is to detect Epstein-Barr virus
(EBV) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) biopsies of Sudanese patients using
EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) in Situ hybridization (EBER-ISH). Study
Design: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at the National
Center for ENT diseases and Head and Neck Surgery and the Institute of Endemic
Diseases, University of Khartoum, Khartoum City, Sudan. Subjects and Methods:
Biopsies from 43 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were examined for the
presence of Epstein-Barr virus using EBER-ISH. Ten normal samples were used to
assess the presence of the virus in non cancer tissues. Results: Fifty three
samples were examined for the presence of the virus by EBER-ISH, 43 biopsies
were NPC and ten were normal. Histologically the cases were, 20 (46.5%), 20
(46.5%) and 3 (7%) of the biopsies were classified as WHO types II, III and
mixed type II and III, respectively; there were no cases of type I NPC. All
nasopharyngeal carcinoma biopsies (100%) were positive for EBER1 in almost all
carcinoma cells with focal and intense dark-blue staining limited to the
nucleus; no hybridization was observed in the cytoplasm. No hybridization was
observed in all ten non cancer tissues. Conclusion: All NPC cells are clearly
EBV-infected. The virus is located in the nucleus of the tumour cells. The
presence of Epstein-Barr virus in normal nasopharyngeal epithelia is not a
common event.