Epstein-Barr virus-specific antibody titers in seven Alaskan natives before and after diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Results are presented of Epstein-Barr virus-specific serologic tests for seven Alaskan Native patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from whom serum had been collected 2-10 years before diagnosis and up to 6 years after diagnosis. The pre-illness antibody spectra and titers of the NPC patients did not differ from those of controls. However, broadened antibody spectra and elevated titers were associated with the emergence of NPC disease, which in one case was present as early as 22 months before actual diagnosis. Increasing or continuously high antibody titers were associated with progression of the disease and death, whereas patients who maintained relatively low, stable antibody titers after treatment have remained well.