Our results demonstrated the presence of the EBV genome in a large subset of breast cancers. The virus was restricted to tumor cells and was more frequently associated with the most aggressive tumors. EBV may be a cofactor in the development of some breast cancers.

We recently showed that BZLF1, the gene encoding the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) ZEBRA protein, was expressed in all eight nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) specimens studied. We present here studies on the expression of EBV lyric cycle genes in the same eight NPC biopsies to determine if production of the ZEBRA transactivator could lead to a complete productive cycle. The tumour lesions exhibit a number of different patterns of limited lytic gene expression. In three out of eight tumours neither BRLF1 nor BMLF1 expression could be detected. Otherwise BMLF1 mRNA was expressed in all the other specimens. Three specimens also expressed BRLF1. Two specimens not only exhibited BZLF1, BMLF1 and BRLF1 transcripts, but also expressed the late gene BLLF1 which encodes the membrane protein gp220. The early gene product BBLF2 could not be detected in any of the eight NPC. However, expression of the late gene encoding the lyric truncated form of LMP1 (D1LMP) was found in seven of the eight NPC biopsies. Thus, it could be suggested that the EBV abortive lytic cycle occurred in most of the NPC studied.

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Nineteen consecutive patients with metastatic or recurrent nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) receiving combination chemotherapy were monitored for EBV DNA in their serum. EBV DNA (EBER‐1) concentration in serum was measured before, during, and after chemotherapy. Thirteen patients had additional multiple prechemotherapy readings. There was a significant lead time from first detection of serum EBER‐1 to clinical recurrence in 62% of patients by a mean of 17.4 weeks (range: 8–74.5 weeks; mean = 28.2 weeks if confined to the 8 patients with significant lead time). The median EBER‐1 concentration was significantly higher in those with distant metastasis as compared to those with loco‐regional recurrence only (17,468 vs. 684 pg/mL serum; p= 0.046, Mann‐Whitney U test). Among the 13 patients who responded to chemotherapy, 4 exhibited clinical complete remission (CR) who were only found in the group with EBER‐1 DNA drop to background level, while the magnitude of EBER‐1 drop did not discriminate partial remission (PR) and stable disease (SD) patients clearly. Subsequent profile of EBER‐1 DNA showed concordance with clinical course of either continuous remission or later progression. EBER‐1 DNA in serum can become a useful adjunctive surrogate marker to monitor chemotherapeutic response in NPC patients with distant metastasis or advanced local recurrence.