Andriana Kouloura1, Electra Nicolaidou2, Ioannis Misitzis3, Euaggelia Panotopoulou4, Theodoraki Kassiani5, Vasilios Smyrniotis6, Giovanni Corso7, Paolo Veronesi7, Nikolaos Arkadopoulos6. 1. Division of Breast Cancer Surgery, European Institute of Oncology, Via G. Ripamonti 435, 20141, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: andrianakouloura@yahoo.com. 2. 1st Department of Dermatology and Venereology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, "Andreas Syggros" Hospital, Athens, Greece. 3. Breast Cancer Surgical Department, "Saint Savvas'' General Anticancer Hospital, Athens, Greece. 4. Virology Department, ''Saint Savvas'' General Anticancer Hospital, Athens, Greece. 5. 1st Department of Anesthesiology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece. 6. 4th Department of Surgery, Attikon University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece. 7. Division of Breast Cancer Surgery, European Institute of Oncology, Via G. Ripamonti 435, 20141, Milan, Italy.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Human papilloma virus (HPV) has been implicated in several types of epithelial cancer. The role of HPV in breast carcinogenesis has been a matter of debate fueled by conflicting reports in recent years. The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence of breast and cervical HPV infection in cancer patients by using a modern microarray approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present prospective study, 201 breast cancer patients were included. For each patient a detailed medical history was taken and during the operation, under sterile conditions, samples were collected, from the tumour, the healthy adjacent breast tissue and any positive sentinel lymph nodes. In addition, for each patient a cervical sample was also collected. All samples were analysed for DNA of 24 types of HPV using a microarray technique. RESULTS: Despite the high sensitivity of the technique used, no HPV DNA was identified in any of the breast or lymph node samples. Our analysis showed that patients with HPV positive cervical samples (28 cases) were more likely to have tumors with positive progesterone receptors (p=0.041) and were also more likely to have two or three positive lymph nodes (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: In the present study, a combination of careful sample collection and a very sensitive microarray approach showed no correlation between HPV and breast cancer. However some characteristics of the breast tumors were different among patients with HPV DNA in their cervical samples.
OBJECTIVES:Human papilloma virus (HPV) has been implicated in several types of epithelial cancer. The role of HPV in breast carcinogenesis has been a matter of debate fueled by conflicting reports in recent years. The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence of breast and cervical HPV infection in cancerpatients by using a modern microarray approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present prospective study, 201 breast cancerpatients were included. For each patient a detailed medical history was taken and during the operation, under sterile conditions, samples were collected, from the tumour, the healthy adjacent breast tissue and any positive sentinel lymph nodes. In addition, for each patient a cervical sample was also collected. All samples were analysed for DNA of 24 types of HPV using a microarray technique. RESULTS: Despite the high sensitivity of the technique used, no HPV DNA was identified in any of the breast or lymph node samples. Our analysis showed that patients with HPV positive cervical samples (28 cases) were more likely to have tumors with positive progesterone receptors (p=0.041) and were also more likely to have two or three positive lymph nodes (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: In the present study, a combination of careful sample collection and a very sensitive microarray approach showed no correlation between HPV and breast cancer. However some characteristics of the breast tumors were different among patients with HPV DNA in their cervical samples.