Virus Linked to Development of Common Form of Skin Cancer

Cancer researchers have linked a virus implicated in the development of a rare, deadly form of skin cancer to the much more common and treatable type of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Investigators from Ohio State University (Columbus, USA) had speculated that the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), which could be isolated from patients with the relatively rare skin cancer Merkel cell carcinoma, might also play a role in the development of the milder and more common SCC. To test this hypothesis the investigators used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primer sets directed against the large T (LT) antigen and VP1 gene of MCPyV.


The investigators reported in the June 25, 2009, online edition of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology that they had detected MCPyV in 15% (26/177) of SCC DNA samples and 17% (11/63) of adjacent skin DNA samples from 21 of 58 (36%) individuals studied. They did not detect MCPyV in any matched normal blood DNA (0/57), but observed the presence of MCPyV DNA in one of 12 normal mouthwash DNAs. All sequenced SCC samples had a common mutation that shortened the LT antigen, which provided indirect evidence of viral integration into the cancer cells.

"This is indirect evidence that the virus might play a role in causing some cases of squamous cell carcinoma,” said senior author Dr. Amanda E. Toland, assistant professor of molecular virology, immunology, and medical genetics at Ohio State University. "Originally it was thought that this virus caused only this rare skin cancer, but our findings indicate that it is a lot more prevalent than we initially thought. That suggests that the virus may develop a mutation that causes it to integrate into host-cell DNA, and therefore, may play a role in causing the cancer. If it proves to be a cancer-causing virus, and if it proves to be common in the general population, it might be something we should begin screening people for.”

Related Links:
Ohio State University