Viruses not Responsible for Breast Cancer, Brain Tumors

A recent study conducted by researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy disproved theories of a viral cause for both breast cancer and the brain tumor, glioblastoma.

Researchers note that the study was based on over seven billion DNA sequences that showed no genetic traces of viruses in forms of cancer.

It's been scientifically proven that close to 15 percent of all cancer cases are the result of viral infection as many researchers believe that even more cancers could be caused by viruses. Other theories also note that it is suggested that the Epstein-Barr virus could be a possible cause of breast cancer that the cytomegalovirus may cause the malignant brain tumor glioblastoma.

"There is some controversy in that we have not found any viruses in these forms of cancer, but if there were any viral involvement in breast cancer and glioblastoma, it is likely that we would have found some trace of it. We have based our research on American material, which is extremely comprehensive," Erik Larsson, who is a researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg said, via a press release.

The study used computers to create an in-depth analysis of 700 billion DNA sequences from over 4,000 tumors.

"We conducted an unbiased search for viruses in 19 different types of cancer. The analysis has neatly confirmed the links that are already known, which effectively confirms that we are using the right method," Larsson said, via the release.

The results of the study were able to confirm that liver cancer is often caused by the hepatitis virus and that the human papilloma virus causes cervical cancer. The study also shows that viral infection also causes major adaptations in the tumor cell and that virus-positive tumors from widely different organs can display considerable similarities.

More information regarding the study can be found via the scientific journal Nature Communications.