R Serene Perkins, Molecular Genetics, Cellular and Tissue Transplantation, Nemours Biomedical Research, Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA, Department of Surgery of the Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children, Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA, Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Medical College, Department of Surgery, Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA, Oregon Health and Science University, Department of Surgery, Portland, OR 97239-3098, USA
Katherine Sahm, Helen F Graham Cancer Center, Christiana Care Health System, Ogletown Stanton Road, Newark, Delaware 19713, USA
Cindy Marando, Molecular Genetics, Cellular and Tissue Transplantation, Nemours Biomedical Research, Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA, Department of Surgery of the Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children, Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA
Diana Dickson-Witmer, Helen F Graham Cancer Center, Christiana Care Health System, Ogletown Stanton Road, Newark, Delaware 19713, USA
Gregory R Pahnke, Helen F Graham Cancer Center, Christiana Care Health System, Ogletown Stanton Road, Newark, Delaware 19713, USA
Mark Mitchell, Helen F Graham Cancer Center, Christiana Care Health System, Ogletown Stanton Road, Newark, Delaware 19713, USA
Nicholas J Petrelli, Helen F Graham Cancer Center, Christiana Care Health System, Ogletown Stanton Road, Newark, Delaware 19713, USAFollow
Irving M Berkowitz, Helen F Graham Cancer Center, Christiana Care Health System, Ogletown Stanton Road, Newark, Delaware 19713, USA
Patricia Soteropoulos, Center for Applied Genomics, Public Health Research Institute, Warren Street, Newark, NJ 07103, US
Virginie M Aris, Center for Applied Genomics, Public Health Research Institute, Warren Street, Newark, NJ 07103, US
Stephen P Dunn, Department of Surgery of the Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children, Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA, Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Medical College, Department of Surgery, Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USAFollow
Leslie J Krueger, Molecular Genetics, Cellular and Tissue Transplantation, Nemours Biomedical Research, Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE 19803, USAFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2006

Comments

This article has been peer reviewed and is published in BMC Breast Cancer Research Volume 8, Issue 6, 12 December 2006, Article number R70. The published version is available at DOI: 10.1186/bcr1627. Copyright © BioMed Central Ltd.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is present in over 90% of the world's population. This infection is considered benign, even though in limited cases EBV is associated with infectious and neoplastic conditions. Over the past decade, the EBV association with breast cancer has been constantly debated. Adding to this clinical and biological uncertainty, different techniques gave contradictory results for the presence of EBV in breast carcinoma specimens. In this study, minor groove binding (MGB)-TaqMan real time PCR was used to detect the presence of EBV DNA in both peripheral blood and tumor samples of selected patients. METHODS: Peripheral blood and breast carcinoma specimens from 24 patients were collected. DNA was extracted and then amplified by MGB-TaqMan real time PCR. RESULTS: Of 24 breast tumor specimens, 11 (46%) were positive for EBV DNA. Of these 11 breast tumor specimens, 7 (64%) were also positive for EBV DNA in the peripheral blood, while 4 (36%) were positive for EBV DNA in the tumor, but negative in the blood. CONCLUSION: EBV was found at extremely low levels, with a mean of 0.00004 EBV genomes per cell (range 0.00014 to 0.00001 EBV genomes per cell). Furthermore, our finding of the presence of EBV in the tumor specimens coupled to the absence of detection of EBV genomic DNA in the peripheral blood is consistent with the epithelial nature of the virus. Because of the low levels of viral DNA in tumor tissue, further studies are needed to assess the biological input of EBV in breast cancer.

PubMed ID

17163997

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