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Study Links Virus to Some Cases of Common Skin Cancer

September 11, 2009
Publication
Article
OncologyONCOLOGY Vol 23 No 10
Volume 23
Issue 10

A virus discovered last year in a rare form of skin cancer has also been found in people with the second most common form of skin cancer among Americans, according to researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Their findings were published online June 25, 2009, by the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

A virus discovered last year in a rare form of skin cancer has also been found in people with the second most common form of skin cancer among Americans, according to researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Their findings were published online June 25, 2009, by the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

The researchers examined tissue samples from 58 people with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a highly curable form of skin cancer that is expected to affect more than 200,000 Americans this year.

They identified the virus in more than one-third of the patients and in 15% of the tumors tested. In addition, all of the virus found in tumor cells had a mutation that could enable the viral DNA to integrate into the DNA of the host cell.

“This is indirect evidence that the virus might play a role in causing some cases of squamous cell carcinoma,” says principal investigator Amanda E. Toland, PhD, assistant professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics and a researcher with the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.

The virus was first discovered in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare, aggressive skin cancer that occurs mainly in the elderly and people with a suppressed immune system. The people in the new study all had a healthy immune system.

“Originally it was thought that this virus caused only this rare skin cancer, but our findings indicate that it is a lot more prevalent than we initially thought,” said Dr. Toland.

More Than One-Third Tested Positive
The investigators detected the virus in 26 of 177 SCC samples, 11 of 63 adjacent-skin samples, and 1 sample from a mouthwash. They found no viral DNA in any of the blood samples from 57 patients. In all, 21 of 58 SCC patients, or 36%, tested positive for the virus.

By sequencing the viral DNA from 31 normal and tumor samples, the researchers showed that the same mutation was present in all the viruses tested from tumors, and in 60% of the viruses tested from adjacent healthy-looking tissue.

“That suggests that the virus may develop a mutation that causes it to integrate into host-cell DNA, and, therefore, may play a role in causing the cancer,” said Dr. Toland.

Articles in this issue

Radical Prostatectomy Reigns Supreme
Localized Prostate Cancer: The Battle of Treatment Options Enters the Larger Arena
Ginger
Ginger
More Questions About Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Lung Cancer
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Resectable Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Preoperative Therapy for Early-Stage NSCLC: Opportunities and Challenges
FDA Approves First Maintenance Drug Therapy for Advanced Lung Cancer
Accelerated Approval Granted for Bevacizumab in Glioblastoma
New Opioid Pain Reliever Approved With Required Risk-Reduction Plan
FDA Extends Review of Ofatumumab
Degarelix for Advanced Prostate Cancer Gets Trade Name
KRAS Safety Update Added to Panitumumab Prescribing Information
FDA Issues Final Rules to Help Patients Gain Access to Investigational Drugs
SGO White Paper Explores HPV Vaccine’s Impact on Cervical Cancer Prevention
New Fertility Treatment Option Available for Cancer Patients

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