The Retrovirus XMRV Is not Directly Involved in the Pathogenesis of Common Types of Lymphoid Malignancy

Background: A novel retrovirus, xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV), has been detected in prostate cancer samples and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. In addition, the virus has been identified in PBMCs from healthy controls. These data suggest that XMRV is circulating in the human population. XMRV is closely related to murine leukemia viruses, which cause lymphoid malignancies in mice. The aim of this study was to determine whether XMRV is directly associated with common forms of human lymphoma or leukemia. Methods: DNA samples from 368 patients with lymphoid malignancies and 139 patients with benign lymphadenopathy or other malignant disease were screened for XMRV, using three specific and sensitive quantitative PCR assays. Results: XMRV was not detected in any sample using any of the three assays. Conclusions: The data suggest that this virus is not directly involved in the pathogenesis of common types of lymphoid malignancy and that XMRV is not a prevalent blood borne infection, at least in the United Kingdom. Impact: There is no evidence that XMRV is associated with lymphoid malignancies, and further studies should resolve inconsistencies in results of studies examining XMRV prevalence. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 20(10); 2232–6. ©2011 AACR .