A case of Epstein Barr virus-associated primary squamous cell carcinoma of stomach

BACKGROUND: Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of stomach is extremely rare. The pathogenesis of SCC of stomach remains unclear. There is only one report that Epstein Barr virus (EBV) infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of SCC arising in the stomach ever before. Here, we report a case of Epstein Barr virus infection-associated primary SCC of stomach in a 70-year-old woman. She was presented to the referring hospital with hematemesis. Initial endoscopy revealed a bleeding gastric ulcer in the upper part of gastric corpus and the coagulation therapy was followed. After a 3-month follow-up, endoscopy revealed a submucosal tumor-like protrusion instead of an ulcer. Computed tomography revealed a mass in the upper part of stomach and swollen lymph nodes along with the lesser curvature and para-aortic lymph node. Biopsy could not confirm the definitive diagnosis. We performed total gastrectomy with para-aortic lymph node sampling. Histological analysis revealed squamous cell carcinoma with EBV infection with lymph node metastases. Tumor cells were positive for EBV-encoded small RNA (EBER) by in situ hybridization. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on day 11 after the operation. CapeOX was started as adjuvant chemotherapy, and the patient remains alive without recurrence 7 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: This is the first case report of EBV infection-associated primary SCC of the stomach diagnosed by in situ hybridization of EBER. EBV infection may be related to the pathogenesis of primary SCC. Further evidence and studies are required to establish optimal strategy for this rare disease.