Almost Complete Lack of Human Cytomegalovirus and Human papillomaviruses Genome in Benign and Malignant Breast Lesions in Shiraz, Southwest of Iran

Breast cancer ranks as the most common cancer among women worldwide. There have been controversial reports regarding contributions of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) to its development. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of HPV and HCMV positivity in benign and malignant breast tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Formalin fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of 150 breast cancers (invasive ductal and lobular carcinomas) and 150 non-malignant breast lesions (fibroadenomas, fibrocystic disease and adenosis) were examined. All samples were first deparafinized then subjected to commercial DNA extraction. The β-globin gene fragment was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to confirm the quality of extracted DNA. The presence of HPV and HCMV genomic DNA was determined using PCR and Real time PCR techniques, respectively. RESULTS: The mean ages of the test and control groups were 35.2 and 45 years, respectively. For HCMV, none of the malignant lesions were positive and only 2 of the 150 benign samples demonstrated presence of the virus. No HPV genomic DNA was found in either malignant or benign cases. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated no relationship between HCMV or HPV infection with breast cancer development. Whether investigations in larger populations with longer follow-up might demonstrate any role remains unclear.