Nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Japan--clinical evaluation of EBV serology and EBV-associated nuclear antigens test.

This study was aimed at the possible clinical application of two Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) immunological tests to Japanese nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). One of them was serological test to measure antibody titers to EBV-associated antigens (viral capsid antigens (VCA) and virus-induced early antigens (EA)) of 42 NPC sera. The other was for the detection of EBV-associated nuclear antigens (EBNA) in 22 tumour cells of NPC. The results showed that significant elevation of antibody titers to VCA and EA which resided particularly in IgA class as well as a high incidence in the presence of EBNA were found in undifferentiated NPC. Apart from its importance in etiology, EBV serology and the EBNA test may help clinicians to establish a diagnosis of undifferentiated NPC in Japan and there is little doubt that these tests should eventually become a routine biologic test in ENT practice.