Bovine Leukemia Virus DNA Associated with Breast Cancer in Women from South Brazil

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2019 Mar 1

PMID 30814631

Citations 18

Authors

Daniela Schwingel

Ana P Andreolla

Luana M S Erpen

Rafael Frandoloso

Luiz C Kreutz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Breast cancer is a neoplastic condition with a high morbidity and mortality amongst women worldwide. Recent data linking bovine leukemia virus (BLV) with breast cancer has been contested already. Our study investigated the presence of BLV genome in healthy (n = 72) and cancerous (n = 72) paraffin-embedded samples of breast tissues from women in south Brazil. BLV DNA was found most frequently (30.5%) in breast cancer tissue than in healthy breast (13.9%) (Odds ratio = 2.73; confidence interval = 1.18-6.29; p = 0.027). In contrast, antibodies to BLV were found in a very small percentage of healthy blood donors. There was no association between BLV DNA and other tumor prognostic biological markers such as hormonal receptors, HER2 oncoprotein, proliferation index, metastasis in sentinels lymph nodes, and tumor grade and size. Our findings suggest that BLV should be considered a potential predisposing factor to breast cancer in women.

Citing Articles

Human Cytomegalovirus Infection and Breast Cancer: A Literature Review of Clinical and Experimental Data.

Blanco R, Munoz J Biology (Basel). 2025; 14(2).

PMID: 40001942 PMC: 11851556. DOI: 10.3390/biology14020174.

The transmission of bovine leukemia virus to calves occurs mostly through colostrum and milk.

Quadros D, Puhl K, Ribeiro V, Frandoloso R, Kreutz L Vet World. 2025; 17(12):2918-2924.

PMID: 39897374 PMC: 11784063. DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.2918-2924.

Triple Viral Infections in Advanced Breast Cancer: Insights from a Three-Case Report and Literature Review.

Khasawneh A, Himsawi N, Alorjani M, Al-Momani H, Shahin U, Sammour A Diagnostics (Basel). 2025; 15(1.

PMID: 39795579 PMC: 11720534. DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics15010051.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) and risk of breast cancer; a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Saeedi-Moghaddam F, Mohammaditabar M, Mozhgani S Retrovirology. 2024; 21(1):20.

PMID: 39623467 PMC: 11613672. DOI: 10.1186/s12977-024-00653-y.

The Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Bovine Leukemia Virus among Dairy Cattle in Henan Province, China.

Zhao Y, Zhu X, Zhang Z, Chen J, Chen Y, Hu C Viruses. 2024; 16(9).

PMID: 39339874 PMC: 11437460. DOI: 10.3390/v16091399.

References

Wolff A, Hammond M, Hicks D, Dowsett M, McShane L, Allison K . Recommendations for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 testing in breast cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists clinical practice guideline update. J Clin Oncol. 2013; 31(31):3997-4013. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2013.50.9984. View

Kuroishi T, Tominaga S, Morimoto T, Tashiro H, Itoh S, Watanabe H . Tumor growth rate and prognosis of breast cancer mainly detected by mass screening. Jpn J Cancer Res. 1990; 81(5):454-62. PMC: 5918060. DOI: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.1990.tb02591.x. View

Gillet N, Willems L . Whole genome sequencing of 51 breast cancers reveals that tumors are devoid of bovine leukemia virus DNA. Retrovirology. 2016; 13(1):75. PMC: 5095936. DOI: 10.1186/s12977-016-0308-3. View

Colditz G, Bohlke K . Priorities for the primary prevention of breast cancer. CA Cancer J Clin. 2014; 64(3):186-94. DOI: 10.3322/caac.21225. View

Robinson L, Jaing C, Campbell C, Magliocco A, Xiong Y, Magliocco G . Molecular evidence of viral DNA in non-small cell lung cancer and non-neoplastic lung. Br J Cancer. 2016; 115(4):497-504. PMC: 4985355. DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2016.213. View

Konnai S, Usui T, Ikeda M, Kohara J, Hirata T, Okada K . Tumor necrosis factor-alpha genetic polymorphism may contribute to progression of bovine leukemia virus-infection. Microbes Infect. 2006; 8(8):2163-71. DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2006.04.017. View

Bartlett P, Sordillo L, Byrem T, Norby B, Grooms D, Swenson C . Options for the control of bovine leukemia virus in dairy cattle. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2014; 244(8):914-22. DOI: 10.2460/javma.244.8.914. View

Kamihira S, Sugahara K, Tsuruda K, Minami S, Uemura A, Akamatsu N . Proviral status of HTLV-1 integrated into the host genomic DNA of adult T-cell leukemia cells. Clin Lab Haematol. 2005; 27(4):235-41. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2257.2005.00698.x. View

Michaelson J, Silverstein M, Sgroi D, Cheongsiatmoy J, Taghian A, Powell S . The effect of tumor size and lymph node status on breast carcinoma lethality. Cancer. 2003; 98(10):2133-43. DOI: 10.1002/cncr.11765. View

10.

Philpott S, Buehring G . Defective DNA repair in cells with human T-cell leukemia/bovine leukemia viruses: role of tax gene. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1999; 91(11):933-42. DOI: 10.1093/jnci/91.11.933. View

11.

Glenn W, Heng B, Delprado W, Iacopetta B, Whitaker N, Lawson J . Epstein-Barr virus, human papillomavirus and mouse mammary tumour virus as multiple viruses in breast cancer. PLoS One. 2012; 7(11):e48788. PMC: 3501510. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048788. View

12.

Buehring G, Shen H, Schwartz D, Lawson J . Bovine leukemia virus linked to breast cancer in Australian women and identified before breast cancer development. PLoS One. 2017; 12(6):e0179367. PMC: 5480893. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179367. View

13.

Murakami H, Yamada T, Suzuki M, Nakahara Y, Suzuki K, Sentsui H . Bovine leukemia virus integration site selection in cattle that develop leukemia. Virus Res. 2011; 156(1-2):107-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2011.01.004. View

14.

Salmons B, Gunzburg W . Revisiting a role for a mammary tumor retrovirus in human breast cancer. Int J Cancer. 2013; 133(7):1530-5. DOI: 10.1002/ijc.28210. View

15.

Buehring G, Shen H, Jensen H, Jin D, Hudes M, Block G . Exposure to Bovine Leukemia Virus Is Associated with Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study. PLoS One. 2015; 10(9):e0134304. PMC: 4557937. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134304. View

16.

Merlini R, Gutierrez G, Alvarez I, Jaworski J, Carignano H, Poli M . Bovine leukemia virus becomes established in dairy herds before the first lactation. Arch Virol. 2016; 161(11):3215-7. DOI: 10.1007/s00705-016-2973-x. View

17.

Baltzell K, Shen H, Krishnamurthy S, Sison J, Nuovo G, Buehring G . Bovine leukemia virus linked to breast cancer but not coinfection with human papillomavirus: Case-control study of women in Texas. Cancer. 2017; 124(7):1342-1349. DOI: 10.1002/cncr.31169. View

18.

Bauermann F, Ridpath J, Dargatz D . Bovine leukemia virus seroprevalence among cattle presented for slaughter in the United States. J Vet Diagn Invest. 2017; 29(5):704-706. DOI: 10.1177/1040638717702183. View

19.

Kao S, Marriott S . Disruption of nucleotide excision repair by the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 Tax protein. J Virol. 1999; 73(5):4299-304. PMC: 104211. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.73.5.4299-4304.1999. View

20.

Reyes R, Cockerell G . Unintegrated bovine leukemia virus DNA: association with viral expression and disease. J Virol. 1996; 70(8):4961-5. PMC: 190448. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.70.8.4961-4965.1996. View