Study links human papillomavirus to causal role in bladder cancer
10th May 2011
By Staff writer
MORE evidence has emerged implicating human papillomavirus (HPV) as an important cause of certain malignancies, with a Japanese study finding viral DNA in 15% of bladder cancers.
Researchers looked for genetic traces in 117 frozen tumour samples, with HPV DNA more likely to be detected within lower-grade tumours from patients aged under 60 years.
“Analysis indicated that high-risk HPV DNA was localised in the nuclei of tumour cells of all HPV-positive samples,” the researchers said.
“The current results indicated that high-risk HPV is likely to be a causative agent of some low-grade bladder carcinomas that develop in younger patients.”
Cancer 2011; 117:2067-76
