Epstein-Barr virus antibody titers in cancer of the head and neck.

Pretreatment serum samples from 39 white American patients with epidermoid cancer of various sites of the head and neck, including the nasopharynx, were studied for both IgA and IgG antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific antigens. Of the various serological assays, IgG anti-viral capsid antigen (VCA) was least specific and was present frequently at high titers in both the groups with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and groups with other cancers (OC). The geometric mean titer (GMT) of IgA anti-VCA was significantly elevated in patients with NPC compared with the groups with OC. The incidence of this virologic parameter was high in the laryngeal and stage III and IV oral cavity groups of epidermoid cancer, and the GMTs were significantly greater than the control group. Finally, the GMTs of all the antibodies to the EBV-associated antigens were significantly elevated in patients with NPC who had regional metastases compared with those who had local disease with cranial nerve involvement.