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SV40 does not have a role in the majority of malignant mesotheliomas
according to a study in this month's Cancer Research.
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New highly sensitive approach shows no evidence of SV40 in tumors ?
SV40 unlikely to be factor in asbestos related cancers
SV40 does not have a role in the majority of malignant mesotheliomas --
a cancer associated with exposure to asbestos ? according to a study in
this month's Cancer Research. The study, led by Mount Sinai School of
Medicine researchers used a scrupulous protocol that eliminated
contamination that has likely been the reason previous studies have
implicated SV40 in this cancer.
"Ever since the connection between asbestos and mesothelioma was
first identified there has been intense focus on finding a secondary
cause that would explain why some individuals contract the disease while
others who have equal exposure to asbestos do not," said James Manfredi,
PhD, Associate Professor of Oncological Sciences at Mount Sinai School
of Medicine.
The possibility that SV40 might be this secondary cause came to light
when it was discovered that polio vaccines widely used in the 1960's
were contaminated with the virus. Recently, many studies have found low
levels of SV40 in mesothelioma tumors.
Because SV40 must be present in every cell in order to block the
functions of critical tumor suppressor proteins, Dr. Manfredi and
colleagues argue that the low levels identified in tumors in earlier
studies are insufficient to consider SV40 a cause of the cancers. Rather
they explain that the SV40 found in these cells was likely the result of
contamination.
"SV40 has been a widely used research model," explains Stuart
Aaronson, MD, Professor and Chair of Oncological Sciences at Mount Sinai
and co-author of the paper. "Since many DNA vectors used everyday in
laboratories all over the world contain a portion of the SV40 genome it
must be assumed that any sensitive test for SV40 might find this portion
of the SV40 genome if rigorous methods aren't used to exclude
contamination."
In the current study, the researchers designed a scrupulous protocol
with the specific intent of eliminating any possible contamination. They
then used a highly sensitive assay, capable of detecting the virus even
if it were only present in one out of 5,000 cells. None of the 69 tumors
they tested contained detectable levels of SV40.
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