Comar Manola, Zanotta Nunzia, Pesel Giuliano, Visconti Patrizia, Maestri Iva, Rinaldi Rosa, Crovella Sergio, Cortale Maurizio, De Zotti Renata, Bovenzi Massimo
Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
Tumori. 2012 Mar-Apr;98(2):210-4. doi: 10.1177/030089161209800205.
Malignant mesothelioma is a fatal cancer of increasing incidence in north-eastern Italy. Together with asbestos, the polyomavirus SV40 was hypothesized to contribute to the onset of malignant mesothelioma. To investigate the putative role of SV40 in the individual susceptibility to asbestos-induced malignant mesothelioma, we conducted a molecular epidemiological study on a series of malignant mesothelioma patients from an area in north-eastern Italy hyperendemic for malignant pleural mesothelioma.
We collected 63 mesothelioma samples from incidence cases of patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma in the period 2009-2010. DNA was extracted from patients' tissue biopsies using the BioRobot EZ1 Qiagen workstation. SV40 sequence detection and quantification was performed by specific real time PCR. The 74.6% of the 63 enrolled patients had a history of asbestos exposure. The epithelioid histotype was more prevalent in males (64.0%) and the mixed in females (61.5%) who showed significantly higher cancer co-morbidity (46.1% vs 12%, P = 0.005). SV40 was detected in 22% of MM tumors, with a low viral load. In SV40-positive patients, a threefold increased risk of asbestos exposure was observed, more evident in females (OR 4.32) than in males (OR 1.20).
Our findings indicate that a high prevalence of SV40 was present in malignant mesothelioma incident cases from an area hyperendemic for malignant mesothelioma in north-eastern Italy. Although asbestos is considered the main risk factor in malignant mesothelioma onset, a role for SV40 could be hypothesized.
恶性间皮瘤是一种在意大利东北部发病率不断上升的致命癌症。除石棉外，多瘤病毒SV40也被认为与恶性间皮瘤的发病有关。为了研究SV40在个体对石棉诱导的恶性间皮瘤易感性中的假定作用，我们对来自意大利东北部恶性胸膜间皮瘤高度流行地区的一系列恶性间皮瘤患者进行了分子流行病学研究。
我们收集了2009年至2010年期间被诊断为恶性胸膜间皮瘤的发病患者的63份间皮瘤样本。使用BioRobot EZ1 Qiagen工作站从患者的组织活检中提取DNA。通过特异性实时PCR进行SV40序列检测和定量。63名登记患者中有74.6%有石棉接触史。上皮样组织类型在男性中更为普遍（64.0%），在女性中混合组织类型更为普遍（61.5%），女性的癌症合并症显著更高（46.1%对12%，P = 0.005）。在22%的间皮瘤肿瘤中检测到SV40，病毒载量较低。在SV40阳性患者中，观察到石棉接触风险增加了三倍，在女性中（OR 4.32）比在男性中（OR 1.20）更明显。
我们的研究结果表明，在意大利东北部恶性间皮瘤高度流行地区的恶性间皮瘤发病病例中，SV40的患病率很高。尽管石棉被认为是恶性间皮瘤发病的主要危险因素，但可以推测SV40也起了一定作用。
