Detection of Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) Antigen in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) by Immunohistochemistry in Patients from KPK Province of Pakistan.

Objective: To determine the frequency of EBVLMP-1 antigen positivity in OSCC and normal oral squamous epithelial tissues (control) by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and to see the effect of age and gender in both the OSCC and control tissues. Study Design: Descriptive, Cross Sectional, Multicenter study. Setting: Pathology/ Peshawar Medical College (PMC), Peshawar Dental College and Sardar Begum Dental College, Peshawar. Period: April 2018 to September 2018. Material & Methods: Conducted on total 60 samples divided into two groups. Group A:  30 formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue blocks of OSCC cases and Group B: 30 non neoplastic oral epithelial tissues (control). Both groups A and B slides were stained through immunohistochemistry for EBV LMP-1 monoclonal antigen. Results: 30 cases of OSCC Group A and 30 cases of non-neoplastic oral mucosa Group B were selected for the LMP-1 staining by immunohistochemistry. The mean age of OSCC was 56.5 years (±14.47 Standard deviation) with a range of 20-80 years. Male: Female ratio was 1.3:1 .OSCC commonly involved buccal mucosa. 80% (n=24/30) OSCC cases were grade 1, all the cases of OSCC (100%) showed epithelial positivity for EBV LMP-1 antigen, whole (29/30) cases of non-neoplastic oral mucosa cases showed positivity and there is no statistically significant difference in both Groups A and B. Conclusion: With the findings of EBV positivity in both the OSCC and all of the control cases; it is concluded that EBV does not play an important role in etiology of OSCC. This suggests that the infection by this ubiquitous virus (EBV) occurs at some point in the life of a person leaving LMP, protein latent in the cells of oral epithelium.