Viral colonization in exhaled breath condensate of lung cancer patients: Possible role of EBV and CMV

Introduction Today, an increasing interest is being addressed to the viral etiology of lung tumors. As a consequence, research efforts are currently being directed to the identification of the new viruses involved in lung carcinogenesis toward which the screening programs could be directed. Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the airways colonization by the Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) and Citomegalovirus (CMV) in patients affected by lung cancer using, as a respiratory non‐invasive sample, the exhaled breath condensate (EBC). Methods About 70 lung‐cancer patients and 40 controls were enrolled. All subjects underwent bronchial brushing and EBC collection. EBV‐DNA and CMV‐DNA were evaluated in both samples by real‐time PCR assay. Results They were able to detect EBV and CMV in the EBC. An increase of the EBV positivity in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients compared with controls and of the CMV in advanced stages of lung cancer were observed. The association of the positivity of the cytology and the CMV test (in EBC or brushing) slightly increased the sensitivity of malignant diagnosis. Conclusion EBV and CMV resulted detectable in the EBC. In consideration of the potential involvement of these viruses in lung cancer, which was confirmed in this study, future studies in this direction were supported.