Vilchez RA, Kozinetz CA, Arrington AS, Madden CR, Butel JS.
Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of
Medicine, BCM 286, Room N1319, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
rvilchez@bcm.tmc.edu
BACKGROUND: Many studies have reported the presence of simian virus 40 (SV40)
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or protein in human brain tumors and bone cancers,
malignant mesothelioma, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, the small samples
and lack of control groups in some reports have made it difficult to assess
their reliability. METHODS: Studies were included in this analysis if they met
the following criteria: original studies of patients with primary brain tumors
and bone cancers, malignant mesothelioma, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; the
investigation of SV40 was performed on primary cancer specimens; the analysis
included a control group; and the same technique was used for cases and
controls. Included reports were published from 1975 to 2002. RESULTS: Thirteen
studies fulfilled the criteria for the investigation of primary brain cancers
(661 tumors and 482 control samples). Specimens from patients with brain tumors
were almost four times more likely to have evidence of SV40 infection than were
those from controls (odds ratio [OR] = 3.9; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.6 to
5.8). The association was even stronger for mesothelioma (OR = 17; 95% CI: 10 to
28; based on 15 studies with 528 mesothelioma samples and 468 control samples)
and for bone cancer (OR = 25; 95% CI: 6.8 to 88; based on four studies with 303
cancers and 121 control samples). SV40 DNA was also more frequent in samples
from patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (OR = 5.4; 95% CI: 3.1 to 9.3; based
on three studies with 301 cases and 578 control samples) than from controls.
CONCLUSION: These results establish that SV40 is associated significantly with
brain tumors, bone cancers, malignant mesothelioma, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Studies are needed to assess current prevalence of SV40 infections.
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