Epstein-Barr virus specific T-cell response in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients

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Abstract
There is a substantial body of evidence suggesting an association between Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) and undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The present study has compared a group of NPC patients (newly diagnosed and long‐term survivors) and controls for EBV‐specific T‐cell immunity using the regression of transformation assay. Newly diagnosed patients (17 tested) when compared with either long‐term survivors (20 tested) or controls (30 tested) showed a significant impairment in virus‐specific T‐cell immunity (p = 0.036, p = 0.043 respectively). Furthermore, donors with IgA antibody to EBV showed a significant depression in virus‐specific T‐cell immunity compared with donors without IgA antibody (19 IgA‐positive, 48 IgA‐negative; p = 0.0025). These results may be important in explaining the postulated role of EBV in the aetiology of NPC.