Abstract
Introduction: Many study results have suggested that infection by the Epstein-Barr virus is a possible agent of human breast cancer. But the role of Epstein-Barr virus in breast cancer is still controversial. Materials and Methods: Paraffin embedded formalin fixed specimens were prepared from 40 breast and 40 healthy tissues in Khuzestan province of Iran. After DNA extraction, the purity of all DNA samples was evaluated by amplification of constitutive beta-actin gene. Then the presence of EBV gene in DNA extraction with appropriate purity was assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using virus specific primers. Results: only 2 out 39 cases of tumor (5.12%) and none of the 37 healthy samples were positive for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus. Statistically, Cramer’s index for EBV infection was 0.160 in cancer samples. Conclusions: Our results indicated that there is no significant relationship between breast cancer and Epstein-Barr virus. Further investigation on more patients needed to determine the exact relationship between EBV and breast cancer in this province.
Highlights
Many study results have suggested that infection by the Epstein-Barr virus is a possible agent of human breast cancer
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Epstein-Barr virus and breast cancer in women with this cancer in Khuzestan province
A possible explanation for the controversial results in correlation between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) virus and breast cancer may result in the geographical variation in the incidence of EBV infections, for example, the primary infection with this virus in developing countries, especially in the Asian regions usually happens in the first decade of life, while in the western countries and developed regions primary infection by EBV occurs mainly in adolescence or adulthood.[24,25]
Summary
Many study results have suggested that infection by the Epstein-Barr virus is a possible agent of human breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women worldwide.[1] The incidence of breast cancer in Iran is about 20 new cases per 100 000 women-years.[2] This cancer often leads to complete removal of breast tissue, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormonotherapy.[3] Several internal and external factors contribute to the development of this cancer Internal factors such as age, hormonal effects, lifestyle, obesity, alcohol consumption, smoking, gender, anxiety and stress, genetic predisposition (mutation in BRCA1, 2 and other genes) and family history of breast cancer.[4,5] Exogenous factors include infection with oncogenic viruses such as mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV), human papilloma virus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This virus is accepted as a major contributor to 20% Burkitt lymphoma, 50% Hodgkin′s lymphoma, 10% stomach carcinomas and almost all endemic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.[11]
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