In cancer treatment require monitoring to know whether the therapy was successful or not. For nasopharyngeal cancer, the UI researchers said that the monitoring of therapy response can be seen from EBV viral DNA.
One of the risk factors of nasopharyngeal cancer is the presence of infection by Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), EBV is known to use humans as hosts to its place of living that is in the nasopharyngeal epithelium and B lymphocytes
"EBV has oncogenic potential, because he changed the infected cells into malignant cells through multiple mechanisms," said Yurnadi FKUI doctorate in event promotions on behalf of himself in the room Pratista Sutomo Tjokronegoro Sena, Faculty of medicine, on Wednesday (06/01/2011).
Dissertation Drs Yurnadi, Kes, entitled 'Analysis of Genes Plymeric Polimerfisme Immunoglobulin Receptor and T Cell Receptor Beta As well as the existence of DNA and correlation with Epstein-Barr Virus As Monitoring Therapeutic Response in Patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma' to have passed with an A and has been named as a Ph.D in Biomedicine.
Yunardi tells the therapy used to treat nasopharyngeal cancer depends on the stage, if still in the stage 1-2 then treated by radiation alone. But if you've entered the stage of 3-4, the treatment combination of radiation and chemotherapy.
To find out how much the effectiveness of therapy given could be seen from the existence (existence) EBV DNA in saliva and nasopharyngeal cancer patient serum.
This is based on studies conducted by Yurnadi of 102 nasopharyngeal cancer patients from the Department of Radiology, Faculty of medicine / RSCM and Pathology Department of Otolaryngology-KL FKUI / RSCM.
Patients involved in this study consisted of 67 male and 35 female with age range that includes patients stage 1, 2, 3, 4, recurrent as well as patients who have not known the stage.
In a previous study found that the number of EBV DNA is released into the blood circulation associated with the size of the tumor, thereby eksistesi EBV DNA before and after therapy is associated with tumor size.
At the initial measurement or EBV DNA before therapy in patients with advanced nasopharyngeal cancer that is 3 and 4 detected higher compared with early-stage patients were 1 and 2.
After doing therapy found a decrease in the existence of EBV DNA in serum and saliva of patients. Decrease high found in saliva which reached 64 percent, whereas in serum only reached 34.6 percent.
"Reduction of EBV DNA in saliva can be caused by the loss or diminution occurred after radiotherapy nasopharyngeal tumor, so that viral DNA is released into the saliva is reduced," said Yurnadi who successfully complete the dissertation session with an A.
Yurnadi adding decrease existence EBV DNA in saliva more quickly indicates that the change from the presence of this virus DNA in saliva is more informative in giving the picture the effectiveness of therapy.
"Whereas if the patient has been declared cured in some time and still found the existence of EBV DNA in high levels means that these patients had a relapse," he said.
Yurnadi suggest the existence of necessary monitoring EBV DNA in nasopharyngeal cancer patients with real-time PCR (q-PCR) to monitor more specifically the effectiveness of therapy given.
Nasopharyngeal cancer is a multifactorial disease primarily caused by genetic factors, viral infections and other environmental factors such as food, soot and dust. This cancer generally do not have typical symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage which is marked with crossed eyes and swelling in the neck.
Some things are known to be factors that exacerbate this disease like a habit of eating fish, salted, preserved foods, smoking and environmental pollution. And most patients are found in the productive age of 40-50 years.