No Detection of 'High-risk' Human Papillomaviruses in a Group of Iranian Women with Breast Cancer

The presence of viral DNA in breast cancer cells is controversial. However, some studies have revealed a possible role for the human papillomavirus in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of HPV-DNA in breast tissue in a group of Iranian women with and without breast cancer and identification of the detected HPV types. Paraffin-embedded specimens from 65 malignant breast cancer cases and 65 cases with benign breast lesions were investigated for presence of HPV-DNA by nested polymerase chain reaction. We found HPV-DNA in 22 (33.8%) of the breast cancer specimens. All non-cancerous specimens were negative. Low and high-risk HPV types, including HPV-6 (26.2%), HPV-16 (1.5%), HPV-35 (1.5%), HPV-52 (1.5%), and HPV-11 (1.5%) were detected in our study. HPV-6 was the most prevalent type in the breast cancer specimens. Although high-risk HPV types have been shown to have a major role in cervix cancer, there have been no data that support the same relevance for other types of malignancies. Furthermore, presence of low-risk HPV types in malignancies still is a matter of debate. The data presented in this study indicates a strong need for epidemiological studies correlating different HPV types in human breast cancer.