CMV association with brain tumors ?

 Neuro Oncol. 2008 Jan;10(1):10-8. Epub 2007 Oct 19 

Duke University Medical Center publishes an outstanding research at the Neuro-Oncology February 2008 issue. Dr Mitchell et al studied the association of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) with astrocytomas, and especially glioblastomas. The team tried to detect HCMV in the tumors and peripheral blood of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The utilized immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization and PCR in tumor and blood specimens of GBM patients and in healthy controls. They found that >90% of GBMs, not surrounding normal brain, are associated with HCMV nucleic acids and proteins. At  a percentage of 80% of new patients with GBM, DNA of the HCMV was detectable in the peripheral blood. We should mention that seropositive controls did not exhibit detectable virus. The authors state, that these results suggest that a systemic reactivation of HCMV in patients with GBM has happened or there is shedding of the viral DNA from infected tumor cells in the periphery. 

My comment:   

The association of viruses with malignant neoplasms has proven in selected cases to be true. Literature shows an increasing interest in CMV and its association with gliomas starting with the works of Dr Cobbs et al  at Cancer Research Journal in 2002 (Cancer Res. 2002 Jun 15;62(12):3347-50, article FREE). The research from Duke raises high suspicion for a CMV association and adds results to the previous studies. Further research in the field is imperative. 

Dr Cobbs and Cancer Research hold the copyright© of this article.

 This article is under the © 2008 Duke University Press copyright of Neuro-Oncology journal and Dr Mitchell et al paper