Incidence of HPVs, EBV and MMTV-like Virus in Breast Cancer in Qatar.

Abstract

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and mouse mammary tumor virus-like virus (MMTV-like virus) can be present and contribute to breast cancer development and progression. However, the role of these oncoviruses and their crosstalk in breast cancer is still unclear. We explored the co-presence of high-risk HPVs, EBV, and MMTV-like virus in 74 breast cancer samples from Qatar using PCR. We found the presence of HPV and EBV in 65% and 49% of our cancer samples cohort; 47% of the samples are positive for both oncoviruses. The MMTV-like virus alone was detected in 15% of the samples with no significant association with clinicopathological features. The three oncoviruses were co-present in 14% of the cases; No significant association was noted between the co-presence of these viruses and the clinicopathological features. Despite the presence of the oncoviruses, additional studies are necessary to understand their interactions in human breast carcinogenesis.