Survey of BK and JC polyomaviruses, human cytomegalovirus and human papillomavirus in different types of brain tumors in Iranian patients

Abstract Objective Viral infections account for 15–20% of human cancers worldwide. The potential roles of various viruses, such as polyomaviruses (PyV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and human papillomavirus (HPV) in brain tumors remain unclear. The aim of this study was investigation of the prevalence of different viruses in different types of brain tumors including glioblastoma multiform (GBM), astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, meningioma and B cell lymphoma. Meanwhile we described the relation of age/gender and cancer distribution. Methods 86 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples have examined for the prevalence of JCPyV, BKPyV, HCMV and HPV in different brain tumors. We tested JCPyV, BKPyV by using Real Time PCR targeting the large T-antigen and HCMV, HPV by using nested PCR. Results None of the samples contained JCPyV, BKPyV and HCMV DNA. HPV was positive in only one sample. We found the relation between age and tumor incidence in glioblastoma multiforme patients but there was no significant relationship between gender and brain tumors. Conclusion Our data revealed no evidence for the role of, JCPyV, BKPyV, HCMV, and HPV in brain tumors. Further studies are required to show the role of these viral infections in human brain carcinogenesis.