Inherited chromosomally-integrated human herpesvirus 6 and breast cancer
Menée à partir de l'analyse par PCR d'échantillons d'ADN issus de 19 597 personnes âgées de 40 à 69 ans, puis répliquée sur 1 090 patientes atteintes d'un cancer du sein et 1 053 témoins, cette étude analyse l'association entre la présence de la forme intégrée du virus de l'herpès de type 6 (transmission héréditaire de l'ADN du virus dans le génome des cellules) et le risque de cancer du sein
Background : Inherited chromosomally-integrated human herpesvirus 6 (iciHHV-6) is a condition observed in approximately 1% of the population. Whether such a genetic alteration predisposes to cancer development in currently unknown. Two studies were conducted to determine whether iciHHV-6 is associated with cancer development. Methods : First, a screen of 19,597 people from the province of Quebec was conducted. A replication test, using data from a population-based case-control study of 1090 women with incident breast cancer and 1053 controls from British Columbia and Ontario was conducted. DNA samples were analyzed by Q-PCR and droplet digital PCR to identify iciHHV-6+ carriers. Results : In the initial study, a potential association between iciHHV-6 positivity and breast cancer was identified (OR=2.66, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.95-7.44). In the replication dataset, no association was found between iciHHV-6 positivity in women and breast cancer (OR=0.87, 95%CI=0.35-2.15). Conclusion : We found no statistically significant associations between inherited chromosomally-integrated HHV-6 and breast cancer in women. Impact These results do not provide evidence to suggest that iciHHV-6 is a risk factor for breast cancer. -