SV40 enhances the risk of malignant mesothelioma among people exposed to asbestos: a molecular epidemiologic case-control study

Cancer Research 65, No. 8 (2005): 3049-3052. http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/65/8/3049

Alfonso Cristaudo¹, Rudy Foddis¹, Agnese Vivaldi¹, Rodolfo Buselli¹, Vittorio Gattini¹, Giovanni Guglielmi¹, Francesca Cosentino¹, Franco Ottenga¹, Eugenio Ciancia², Roberta Libener³, Rosangela Filiberti⁴, Monica Neri⁴, PierGiacomo Betta³, Mauro Tognon⁵, Luciano Mutti^6,7 and Riccardo Puntoni⁴

1. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Orthopedic and Traumatology, Occupational Medicine, University of Pisa;
2. Pathologic Anatomy Service, S.Chiara Hospital, Pisa, Italy;
3. Pathology Unit, Department of Oncology, Azienda Sanitaria Ospedaliera, Alessandria, Italy;
4. National Cancer Research Institute, Unit of Environmental Epidemiology, Genoa, Italy;
5. Section of Histology and Embryology,Department of Morphology and Embryology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy;
6. S.Pietro e Paolo Hospital, Borgosesia, Italy; and
7. S.Maugeri Foundation Institute for Research and Care, Pavia, Italy

Abstract

We conducted a case-control study on asbestos exposure and presence of SV40 in tumor samples of malignant mesotheliomas (MMs) and bladder urotheliomas (BUs). PCR analysis revealed the presence of SV40 DNA (SV40+) in eight (42.1%) MMs and 6 (33.3%) BUs. The odds ratio for MM Asb– and SV40+ was 0.4 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.03-4.0], for Asb+ and SV40– was 3.6 (95% CI, 0.6-21.0), and for Asb+ and SV40+ was 12.6 (95% CI, 1.2-133.9). Our results suggest that SV40 increases the risk of MM among individuals exposed to asbestos.