Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of molecular diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) by combining nasopharyngeal swab and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) derived latent membrane protein-1 gene (LMP-1) and Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen gene (EBNA).
Methods: 437 adults underwent nasopharyngoscopy, possible biopsy, and nasopharyngeal swab to obtain nasopharyngeal cells for the detection of LMP-1 and EBNA by PCR.
Results: By detecting LMP-1 and EBNA in the nasopharyngeal swabs, NPC could be diagnosed with a false-positive rate of 1.7% (6/354), a false-negative rate of 8.6% (6/70), a sensitivity of 91.4% (64/70), a specificity of 98.3% (348/354), positive predictive value of 91.4% (64/70), and negative predictive value of 98.3% (348/354).
Conclusion: Detecting EBV genomic LMP-1 and EBNA by nasopharyngeal swab verifies NPC with a sensitivity of 91.4% and specificity of 98.3%. The nasopharyngeal swab coupled with PCR based EBV LMP-1 and EBNA detection could serve as a good supplement to pathological diagnosis of NPC.