Lack of BK virus DNA sequences in most transitional‐cell carcinomas of the bladder

Abstract

BK virus (BKV), a common human polyomavirus infection latent in the kidneys, can reactivate with immunosuppression to cause renal disease. Some have suggested that BKV may contribute to the development of bladder cancer, and BKV sequences have been reported from bladder tumors. To further examine the role of BKV in human bladder cancer, a series of bladder tumors was investigated for BKV genomic sequences. Fresh‐frozen specimens from 76 transitional cell carcinoma tissues and 46 paired adjacent normal urothelial tissues archived at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center were studied. All tissues were histopathologically reviewed. DNA extracted from the tissues was tested by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) assays to detect BKV DNA sequences in the VP1 coding region. Amplification of ERV‐3 was conducted separately to quantify cell copy number. Conventional PCR targeting the BKV T‐antigen (T‐Ag) coding region and immunohistochemistry for BKV T‐Ag were also conducted on all tissues that tested positive for BKV by QPCR. Seventy‐three bladder tumors yielded ≥3,000 copies of ERV‐3, 4 (5.5%) of which tested positive for BKV with average copy numbers of 7.9, 15.8, 0.4 and 0.3 per 1,000 cells. Paired normal tissue was available for 2 of these BKV‐positive tumors, 1 of which was BKV‐positive (14.6 copies/1,000 cells). No other normal tissues were BKV‐positive by QPCR. The 6 BKV‐positive tissues by QPCR were also positive by conventional PCR, but all stained negative for BKV T‐Ag by immunohistochemistry. BKV is unlikely to be involved in the etiology of most bladder tumors. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Polyoma virus infection and urothelial carcinoma of the bladder following renal transplantation

“…In a case -control study, Newton et al (2005) found no association between prevalence or titres of anti-BKV antibodies and diagnosis of bladder cancer. A recent tissue-based study detected BKV DNA by PCR in only 5.5% of urothelial carcinomas, all of which were negative on IH for BKV T-Ag (Rollison et al, 2007). Similarly, we found no evidence of PV T-Ag in urothelial carcinoma from 20 immunocompetent patients.…”

Archetype and Rearranged Non-coding Control Regions in Urothelial Bladder Carcinoma of Immunocompetent Individuals

“…Furthermore, a statistically significant association between urine cytological evidence of PyV infection (decoy cells) and BC was also demonstrated in immunocompetent patients (18). Despite this experimental and epidemiological evidence, clinical cases of PyV-associated urological malignancies are rare and presented mainly as isolated case reports, mostly in transplant recipients or rarely in immunocompetent patients (17,(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51)(52).…”

A Potential Linkage Between the JC and BK Polyomaviruses and Brain and Urinary Tract Tumors: A Review of the Literature

“…78 Rollison et al concluded that BKV did not play a major role in the pathogenesis of bladder carcinoma, as only 5.5% of bladder samples were positive for the presence of the BKV genome and none of them showed T Ag expression. 80 In a case report, a single patient who developed PVAN and a subsequent carcinoma of the bladder that was diffusely positive for BKV T Ag expression was described. 81 The involvement of BKV in kidney cancer is not well established.…”

“…[82][83][84] The presence of BKV sequences in kidney cancer samples also seems to vary among different cohorts of patients. 50,51,[74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84] Kausman et al reported the case of a 10-year-old child with a carcinoma of the donor renal pelvis following BKV allograft nephropathy. Removal of the primary tumor and cessation of immunosuppression led to regression of the secondary tumors and a return to health.…”