LMP1 and LMP2 may be Prognostic Factors for Outcome ofTherapy in Nasopharyngeal Cancers in Indonesia

Abstract

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial malignancy that is invasive and metastasizes easily. Inseveral Asian countries it is the most commonly found of the head and neck malignancies. Epstein Barr virus(EBV) infection is one of the agents causing NPC, so that expression of LMP1 and LMP2 may affect the outcomeof therapy, metastasis, recurrence, and survival of NPC patients. This study aimed to investigate their expressionin relation to therapy outcome and survival in a series of Indonesian NPC patients. The methods used werenested case control and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Differences in therapy outcome in relation to LMP1and LMP2 expression were analyzed through chi square statistics. As a result, in post treatment NPC, there wasa significant difference in therapy outcome between LMP2 (+) compared to LMP2 (-) (P = 0.001). There wasalso a significant difference in 24-months-survival between NPCs expressing LMP1 (+) or LMP2 (+) comparedto those expressing LMP1 (-) or LMP2 (-).