Background: Polyomaviruses (PyVs) are potential transforming viruses. Despite their involvement in human tumours still being debated, there is evidence to suggest a role for PyVs in bladder carcinoma (BC). Therefore, a possible association between PyVs and BC was investigated.
Materials and methods: Urine, blood and fresh bladder tissue specimens were collected from 29 patients with BC. PyV prevalence, non-coding control region (NCCR) organization and genotypic analysis were assessed.
Results: Data showed a significant prevalence of John Cunningham (JC) PyV in BC tissues and in urine with respect to BKPyV, while simian virus 40 was not revealed. A BKPyV rearranged NCCR sequence was isolated, whereas a JCPyV archetypal structure was consistently retained. A prevalence of European genotypes was observed.
Conclusion: Our data would suggest a JCPyV involvement in cancer progression and a BKPyV association with BC pathogenesis in immunocompetent patients. However, further work is necessary to better understand the exact role of PyVs in urothelial carcinogenesis.
Keywords: BKPyV; Polyomaviruses; PyVs; urothelial bladder carcinoma.
Copyright© 2016, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinasios), All rights reserved.