CORRELATION OF HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS AND EPSTEIN BARR VIRUS IN UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL MALIGNANCIES (ESOPHAGEAL AND GASTRIC) IN TERTIARY CARE CENTER

Background: Esophageal and gastric cancers are among the leading causes of cancer-related mortality globally [1,2].Oncogenic viruses such as Human Papilloma virus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) have been implicated in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis, though data from the Indian subcontinent remain limited [3][4][5].To evaluate Objectives: the prevalence of HPV and EBV in esophageal and gastric carcinoma and assess their association with clinicopathological parameters.A prospective observational study was conducted on 32 patients with Methods: esophageal or gastric carcinoma.Tissue samples were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for HPV and EBV detection.Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 17.0.HPV was not detected in esophageal Results: carcinoma and was detected in 12.5% of gastric carcinoma cases.EBV positivity was observed in 31.3% of esophageal and 37.5% of gastric carcinoma cases.Viral positivity showed a statistically significant association with lymph node retrieval.EBV infection was prevalent in both esophageal and gastric carcinoma, whereas HPV showed Conclusion: limited association, confined to gastric carcinoma.