No evidence of Epstein-Barr virus association with Merkel cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive tumor of cutaneous neuroendocrine cells with a reported 13-fold increased incidence in immunocompromised patients, raising the possibility that it is driven by an oncogenic virus. Additionally, Merkel cell hyperplasia is seen in the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-driven process oral hairy leukoplakia, and EBV is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of several other malignancies.

OBJECTIVE

We tested the hypothesis that EBV is involved in MCC.

METHODS

We employed EBV-encoded RNA in situ hybridization (ISH), lytic EBV ISH, latent membrane protein 1 immunohistochemistry, and BamH1Z leftward reading frame 1 immunohistochemistry to detect and localize EBV in paraffin sections of MCC from five patients as well as seven other cutaneous tumors and positive controls for EBV infection.

RESULTS

Positive controls reacted appropriately. However, there was no evidence of latent or lytic EBV in any of the MCC biopsies or other cutaneous tumors.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that EBV is not associated with MCC.