Clinical and Prognostic Value of Human Mammary Tumor Virus in Korean Patients with Breast Carcinoma

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Human mammary tumor virus (HMTV) is 90-95% homologous to mouse mammary tumor virus, one of the causal agents of murine mammary tumors. Although HMTV has been frequently detected in human breast cancers, its clinical and prognostic value remains unknown.

METHODS: In the present study, we analyzed HMTV infection using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 128 breast cancers.

RESULTS: HMTV was found in 9.4% (12/128) of breast cancers and was significantly associated with breast pain (66.7% vs. 11.7%, p=0.007). It had a tendency to be detected more frequently in breast cancer patients with lower BMI<25, although this result was not statistically significant (18.8% vs. 5.4%, p=0.103). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed no prognostic value of HMTV in breast cancer (χ2=0.148, p=0.700). For the first time, we investigated the clinical and prognostic value of HMTV in Korean patients with breast cancer.

CONCLUSION: Although our study revealed that HMTV infection does not have important clinical significance in breast cancer, the possibility remains that it may be a prominent causative agent of the disease.