INTRODUCTION: The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been associated with approximately 10% of gastric adenocarcinomas, which represents more than 50,000 cases/year worldwide. Despite the studies undertaken in several countries, some clinical-pathological aspects remain contentious. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to analyze clinical-pathological features of gastric adenocarcinomas from two Brazilian states, São Paulo and Ceará, by correlating them with EBV detection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred ninety-two gastric adenocarcinoma cases were selected from hospitals in São Paulo and Ceará, of which 160 were submitted to RNA in situ hybridization for EBV detection. RESULTS: Eleven (6.9%) out of 160 cases were EBV-positive with intense nuclear staining in tumor cells. Among these, two cases also showed stained infiltrating lymphocytes. There was no staining in normal or preneoplastic tissue. São Paulo and Ceará yielded the respective results: 3/60 (5%) and 8/100 (8%). In both states, EBV was more prevalent among elder male patients with little to moderately differentiated intestinal tumors in advanced stage. Ceará cases substantiated a relative increase in EBV(+) tumors located in the cardia, whereas São Paulo cases presented an increase in the gastric corpus. CONCLUSION: The frequency of EBV(+) tumors is similarly described in the literature. Among our findings, the elevated percentage of EBV(+) tumors in the gastric corpus, which was observed in São Paulo cases, is unprecedented in the literature.
EBV; Gastric carcinoma; In situ hybridization
