Study: Cytomegalovirus May Play Role in Colorectal Cancer

Researchers report that one of the most common types of herpes virus, called cytomegalovirus (CMV), may play a role in the development of colorectal cancer.

The cytomegalovirus is lifelong and widespread, and it is estimated that anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of U.S. adults are infected with it. While in most cases it remains dormant causing no symptoms, it can be life-threatening for people with weak immune systems or who are immunosuppressed.

Dr. Charles Cobbs, a surgeon and cell biologist at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, reported in the journal The Lancet that laboratory studies on cells from 29 patients showed evidence of CMV in most cells taken from precancerous polyps and tumors, but not in cells from adjacent normal tissue.

"This is an extraordinarily complex virus that can totally manipulate a cell, and given that understanding, it is possible for it to have a role" in colon cancer, Cobbs said. But he said further studies would be necessary to prove a link.

"It may turn out to be just a passenger virus with no impact whatsoever on colorectal cancer," Cobbs said. "But given that we find that it is in polyps and in cells that are damaged, the potential is certainly there for it to promote pathways that lead to the malignant phenotype."

Other Sources: The Lancet