Epstein-Barr Virus DNA Is Associated With Conjunctival Squamous Cell Carcinomas: A Case-Control Study From Zimbabwe.
Racheal S Dube MandishoraLuisa GalatiRichard R ReichJean-Damien CombesSandrine McKay-ChopinRudo Makunike-MutasaRangarirai MasanganiseBevele GwambiwaTricia MagombeiFrancesco Alfredo ZitoPagona LagiouGary M CliffordAnna R GiulianoAnna E CoghillMassimo TommasinoTarik GheitPublished in: Open forum infectious diseases (2024)
Incidence of conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) in Zimbabwe is >30-fold higher than the global average. cSCC risk is notably higher among people with human immunodeficiency virus, implicating impaired immune response and a yet unknown infectious etiology. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks from Zimbabwe, comprising conjunctival precancer (n = 78), invasive cSCC cases (n = 148) and nonmalignant eye lesions (n = 119), were tested for multiple DNA viruses using Luminex bead-based technology. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) type 1 positivity was strongly associated with cSCC diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 5.6 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 3.0-10.4) and marginally associated with precancer (aOR, 2.1 [95% CI, 1.0-4.5]). On analyzing EBV transcriptional activity with any of LMP1, EBNA1, and BZLF1, RNA transcripts were detected in 5 of 112 controls, 3 of 67 precancers, and 10 of 139 cases and none were associated with conjunctival case status. Our EBV DNA data suggest that EBV may play a role in cSCC. However, the low detection rate of EBV RNA supports further investigation to infer causality.
Keyphrases
- epstein barr virus
- human immunodeficiency virus
- diffuse large b cell lymphoma
- circulating tumor
- squamous cell carcinoma
- immune response
- cell free
- nucleic acid
- single molecule
- squamous cell
- hepatitis c virus
- antiretroviral therapy
- hiv testing
- hiv infected
- transcription factor
- high grade
- radiation therapy
- hiv aids
- toll like receptor
- men who have sex with men
- oxidative stress
- circulating tumor cells
- deep learning
- label free
- inflammatory response
- adverse drug
- rectal cancer