Absence of Epstein-Barr viral encoded RNA (EBER) in primary cutaneous t-cell lymphoma.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been associated with various extracutaneous lymphoproliferative diseases and it has been suggested that EBV may have a similar aetiological role in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In this study, in situ hybridization was used to investigate the presence of EBV encoded RNAs (EBER-1 and EBER-2) in 37 biopsies from 28 cases of primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma originating from the U.K. The results showed that EBV had no demonstrable pathogenic role in the lymphomas studied, as EBER was not detected in any case.