Epstein-Barr virus in carcinoma of the vulva

Aims - To detect the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in cases of vulval carcinoma in Chinese patients living in Hong Kong. Methods - Formalin fixed, paraffin wax embedded blocks from eight cases of vulval carcinoma and six age matched controls of non-neoplastic vulval tissue were analysed for the presence of EBV DNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results - EBV DNA was detected in only one of the eight cases of vulval carcinoma cases while it was detected in four out of the six control cases. Conclusions - There is no demonstrable association between EBV and vulval carcinoma. Detection of EBV in nonneoplastic vulval epithelium highlights its ubiquitous presence in the lower female genital tract.published_or_final_versio