Does the existence of HCMV components predict poor prognosis in glioma?

Abstract

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been associated with malignant gliomas. The objective of the present study was to further investigate the existence and prognostic value of HCMV components in gliomas. Using immunohistochemical staining, HCMV proteins IE1-72 and pp65 were examined in 67 glioma specimens of various histologic grades, in comparison to 6 -control brain tissue samples. The HCMV DNA was measured in both the tumor tissues and the peripheral blood of the patients, using nested PCR. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyzed the prognostic value of HCMV components in glioma tissues. IE1-72 was detected in 76.1% (51/67) of glioma tissues, and pp65 was detected in 65.7% (44/67) of glioma tissues. HCMV DNA was detected in 52.2% (35/67) of glioma tissues and 29.9% (20/67) of peripheral blood samples of glioma patients. These HCMV components were not detected in control brain tissue. However, the existence of HCMV components showed no significant correlation with the prognosis of glioma patients. Our results demonstrate that although HCMV proteins and nucleic acids are present in gliomas, they do not correlate with the prognosis. The role of HCMV in gliomas needs to be carefully interpreted.