Human papillomavirus and Epstein Barr virus in prostate cancer: Koilocytes indicate potential oncogenic influences of human papillomavirus in prostate cancer.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Comparative laboratory study of human tissue specimens (normal, benign, and malignant).
PubMed 22851253 · doi:10.1002/pros.22562
What was done
The authors examined normal, benign, and malignant prostate tissue specimens for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). They used in situ polymerase chain reaction (IS-PCR), standard liquid PCR, and product sequencing to detect and localize viral sequences within tissue samples.
What was found
HPV type 18 and EBV gene sequences were detected in the nuclei of prostate epithelial cells across normal, benign, and malignant prostate specimens in high and approximately equal proportions (exact numerical percentages for overall prevalence were not reported in the abstract). HPV-associated koilocytes were identified in 24% of prostate cancer specimens.
Why it matters
While finding viral DNA equally across benign and malignant tissues suggests these viruses may be incidental, the identification of koilocytes demonstrates active HPV cytopathic effects in a subset of prostate cancers.
Limits
The abstract does not report the total sample size or exact counts for normal, benign, and malignant tissue groups. Because HPV and EBV sequences were equally prevalent in non-cancerous tissues, viral presence alone does not demonstrate oncogenic causality.
Cited by
- supports A study assessing biopsied prostate cancer tissue found that the combination of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV) was present in the vast majority of cases.