Section of Pathology, Oncology, and Experimental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Section of Hematology, School of Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
Cancer. 2015 Aug 1;121(15):2618-26. doi: 10.1002/cncr.29404. Epub 2015 Apr 15.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), the most common cancer of the lymphatic system, is of unknown etiology. The identification of etiologic factors in the onset of NHL is a key event that could facilitate the prevention and cure of this malignancy. Simian virus 40 (SV40) has been considered an oncogenic agent in the onset/progression of NHL.
In this study, an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with 2 synthetic peptides that mimic SV40 antigens of viral capsid proteins 1 to 3 was employed to detect specific antibodies against SV40. Serum samples were taken from 2 distinct cohorts of NHL-affected patients (NHL1 [n = 89] and NHL2 [n = 61]) along with controls represented by oncologic patients affected by breast cancer (BC; n = 78) and undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (UNPC; n = 64) and 3 different cohorts of healthy subjects (HSs; HS1 [n = 130], HS2 [n = 83], and HS3 [n = 87]).
Immunologic data indicated that in serum samples from NHL patients, antibodies against SV40 mimotopes were detectable with a prevalence of 40% in NHL1 patients and with a prevalence of 43% in NHL2 patients. In HSs of the same median age as NHL patients, the prevalence was 16% for the HS1 group (57 years) and 14% for the HS2 group (65 years). The difference was statistically significant (P < .0001 and P < .001). Interestingly, the difference between NHL1/NHL2 patients and BC patients (40%/43% vs 15%, P < .001) and between NHL1/NHL2 patients and UNPC patients (40%/43% vs 25%, P < .05) was significant.
Our data indicate a strong association between NHL and SV40 and thus a need for innovative therapeutic approaches for this hematologic malignancy.
非霍奇金淋巴瘤（NHL）是淋巴系统最常见的癌症，其病因不明。确定 NHL 发病的病因因素是促进这种恶性肿瘤预防和治疗的关键事件。猿猴病毒 40（SV40）已被认为是 NHL 发病/进展的致癌剂。
在这项研究中，采用间接酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）检测针对 SV40 病毒衣壳蛋白 1 至 3 的 2 种合成肽模拟抗原的特异性抗体。从 2 组不同的 NHL 患者（NHL1 [n=89]和 NHL2 [n=61]）以及乳腺癌（BC；n=78）、未分化鼻咽癌（UNPC；n=64）的肿瘤患者对照组以及 3 组不同的健康对照组（HS1 [n=130]、HS2 [n=83]和 HS3 [n=87]）采集血清样本。
免疫数据表明，在 NHL 患者的血清样本中，针对 SV40 模拟表位的抗体可检测到，在 NHL1 患者中的患病率为 40%，在 NHL2 患者中的患病率为 43%。在与 NHL 患者年龄中位数相同的 HSs 中，HS1 组（57 岁）的患病率为 16%，HS2 组（65 岁）的患病率为 14%。差异具有统计学意义（P<0.0001 和 P<0.001）。有趣的是，NHL1/NHL2 患者与 BC 患者（40%/43%与 15%，P<0.001）以及 NHL1/NHL2 患者与 UNPC 患者（40%/43%与 25%，P<0.05）之间的差异具有统计学意义。
我们的数据表明 NHL 与 SV40 之间存在很强的关联，因此需要为这种血液恶性肿瘤提供创新的治疗方法。
