Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28926591›Full record

ArticlePloS one2017

No evidence for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus in squamous cell carcinoma of the mobile tongue.

Torben Wilms, Gulfaraz Khan, Philip J Coates, Nicola Sgaramella, Robin Fåhraeus, Asma Hassani, Pretty S Philip, Lena Norberg Spaak, Luigi Califano, Giuseppe Colella and 4 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors at 6 institutions in 5 countries.

Torben WilmsDepartment of Clinical Sciences/ENT, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Gulfaraz KhanUnited Arab Emirates University, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Dept. of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Tawam Hospital Campus, Al Ain, UAE.
Philip J CoatesRECAMO, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Zluty kopec 7, Brno, Czech Republic.
Nicola SgaramellaDepartment of Medical Biosciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Robin FåhraeusRECAMO, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Zluty kopec 7, Brno, Czech Republic.
Asma HassaniUnited Arab Emirates University, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Dept. of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Tawam Hospital Campus, Al Ain, UAE.
Pretty S PhilipUnited Arab Emirates University, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Dept. of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Tawam Hospital Campus, Al Ain, UAE.
Lena Norberg SpaakDepartment of Clinical Sciences/ENT, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Luigi CalifanoDepartment of Neuroscience Reproductive and Dentistry Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
Giuseppe ColellaSecond University of Naples, Multidisciplinary Department of Medical, Surgical and Dental Specialties, Naples, Italy.
Katarina OlofssonDepartment of Clinical Sciences/ENT, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Christos LoizouDepartment of Clinical Sciences/ENT, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Renato FrancoDipartimento Universitario di Anatomia Patologica, Seconda Universita' Degli Studi di Napoli, Piazza Miraglia, Naples, Italy.
Karin NylanderDepartment of Medical Biosciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-4100
Umeå University · SEUnited Arab Emirates University · AEUniversity of Naples Federico II · ITInserm · FRMasaryk Memorial Cancer Institute · CZUniversity of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) comprises a large group of cancers in the oral cavity and nasopharyngeal area that typically arise in older males in association with alcohol/tobacco usage. Within the oral cavity, the mobile tongue is the most common site for tumour development. The incidence of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is increasing in younger people, which has been suggested to associate with a viral aetiology. Two common human oncogenic viruses, human papilloma virus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are known causes of certain types of SCCHN, namely the oropharynx and nasopharynx, respectively. EBV infects most adults worldwide through oral transmission and establishes a latent infection, with sporadic productive viral replication and release of virus in the oral cavity throughout life. In view of the prevalence of EBV in the oral cavity and recent data indicating that it infects tongue epithelial cells and establishes latency, we examined 98 cases of primary squamous cell carcinoma of the mobile tongue and 15 cases of tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma for the presence of EBV-encoded RNAs (EBERs), EBV DNA and an EBV-encoded protein, EBNA-1. A commercially available in situ hybridisation kit targeting EBER transcripts (EBER-ISH) showed a positive signal in the cytoplasm and/or nuclei of tumour cells in 43% of TSCCs. However, application of control probes and RNase A digestion using in-house developed EBER-ISH showed identical EBER staining patterns, indicating non-specific signals. PCR analysis of the BamH1 W repeat sequences did not identify EBV genomes in tumour samples. Immunohistochemistry for EBNA-1 was also negative. These data exclude EBV as a potential player in TSCC in both old and young patients and highlight the importance of appropriate controls for EBER-ISH in investigating EBV in human diseases.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overCarcinoma, Squamous CellDNA, ViralEpstein-Barr Virus Nuclear AntigensHerpesvirus 4, HumanHumansImmunohistochemistryIn Situ HybridizationMiddle AgedPolymerase Chain ReactionTongue NeoplasmsTonsillar NeoplasmsYoung AdultDNA, ViralEBV-encoded nuclear antigen 1Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens

Identifiers

PMID28926591
PMCPMC5604943
OpenAlexW2754503142

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.