A 56-year-old man comes to the office due to several months of progressive neck swelling. He has also had intermittent epistaxis and headaches. The patient has no chronic medical conditions and takes no medications. He does not use tobacco, alcohol, or illicit drugs, and he emigrated to the United States from rural China 12 years ago. Physical examination shows several enlarged, firm, and nontender cervical lymph nodes. Nasopharyngeal evaluation reveals a mass arising from the pharyngeal recess. Histopathological examination of the mass shows undifferentiated malignant cells of epithelial origin. Further analysis of these cells is most likely to reveal the presence of nucleic acid sequences from which of the following viruses?

Question

A 56-year-old man comes to the office due to several months of progressive neck swelling.  He has also had intermittent epistaxis and headaches.  The patient has no chronic medical conditions and takes no medications.  He does not use tobacco, alcohol, or illicit drugs, and he emigrated to the United States from rural China 12 years ago.  Physical examination shows several enlarged, firm, and nontender cervical lymph nodes.  Nasopharyngeal evaluation reveals a mass arising from the pharyngeal recess.  Histopathological examination of the mass shows undifferentiated malignant cells of epithelial origin.  Further analysis of these cells is most likely to reveal the presence of nucleic acid sequences from which of the following viruses?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Nasopharyngeal cancer is endemic in southern China due to genetic and dietary factors that promote nasopharyngeal epithelial pre-malignant lesions.  In almost all cases, malignant transformation occurs due to infection of premalignant cells with Epstein-Barr virus and the subsequent expression of oncogenic viral proteins.

A 56-Year-Old Man Comes to the Office Due to Several