TY - JOUR
T1 - Prospective study of merkel cell polyomavirus and risk of merkel cell carcinoma.
AU - Faust, Helena
AU - Andersson, Kristin
AU - Ekström, Johanna
AU - Hortlund, Maria
AU - Robsahm, Trude Eid
AU - Dillner, Joakim
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare type of skin cancer that has a characteristically increased incidence among immunosuppressed subjects. The DNA of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) is regularly found in most MCC tumors. We investigated whether Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) infection increases the risk for future Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Two large biobank cohorts (Southern Sweden Microbiology Biobank and the Janus Biobank), containing samples from 856,000 healthy donors, were linked to the Cancer Registries in Sweden and Norway to identify cases of MCC occurring up to 30 years after donation of a serum sample. For each of the 22 cases (9 males and 13 females), four matched controls were included. The serum samples were analysed with an MCV neutralization assay and for IgG antibodies to MCV pseudovirions, using JC polyomavirus and cutaneous Human papillomaviruses as control antigens. An increased risk for future MCC was associated both with high levels of MCV antibodies (OR 4.4, 95% CI 1.3-17.4) and with MCV neutralizing activity (OR 5.3, 95% CI 1.3-32.3). In males, MCV seropositivity was not associated to MCC risk, whereas the risk was strongly increased in females, both for high levels of MCV antibodies (OR 7.0, 95% CI 1.6-42.8) and for MCV neutralizing activity (OR 14.3, 95% CI 1.7-677). In conclusion, we found prospective evidence that MCV infection is associated with an increased risk for future MCC, in particular among females. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
AB - Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare type of skin cancer that has a characteristically increased incidence among immunosuppressed subjects. The DNA of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) is regularly found in most MCC tumors. We investigated whether Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) infection increases the risk for future Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Two large biobank cohorts (Southern Sweden Microbiology Biobank and the Janus Biobank), containing samples from 856,000 healthy donors, were linked to the Cancer Registries in Sweden and Norway to identify cases of MCC occurring up to 30 years after donation of a serum sample. For each of the 22 cases (9 males and 13 females), four matched controls were included. The serum samples were analysed with an MCV neutralization assay and for IgG antibodies to MCV pseudovirions, using JC polyomavirus and cutaneous Human papillomaviruses as control antigens. An increased risk for future MCC was associated both with high levels of MCV antibodies (OR 4.4, 95% CI 1.3-17.4) and with MCV neutralizing activity (OR 5.3, 95% CI 1.3-32.3). In males, MCV seropositivity was not associated to MCC risk, whereas the risk was strongly increased in females, both for high levels of MCV antibodies (OR 7.0, 95% CI 1.6-42.8) and for MCV neutralizing activity (OR 14.3, 95% CI 1.7-677). In conclusion, we found prospective evidence that MCV infection is associated with an increased risk for future MCC, in particular among females. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
U2 - 10.1002/ijc.28419
DO - 10.1002/ijc.28419
M3 - Article
C2 - 23922031
VL - 134
SP - 844
EP - 848
JO - International Journal of Cancer
JF - International Journal of Cancer
SN - 0020-7136
IS - 4
ER -