Prevalence and association of human papillomavirus, Epstein-Barr virus and Merkel Cell polyomavirus with neoplastic esophageal lesions in northern Iran

Background: Studies concerning on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) etiological factors have been done for several decades, however, results reported from various investigations were not consistent. The present investigation aimed to explore the presence of 3 oncogenic viruses, human papilloma virus (HPV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) in the neoplastic and non- neoplastic esophageal lesions collected from Mazandaran, a high risk area of Iran. Methods: In total, 168 esophageal specimens (100 with ESCC confirmed diagnosis and 68 without esophageal malignancy) were analyzed for HPV, EBV and MCPyV by Real Time PCR. Results: HPV DNA was detected in 27 out of the 100 neoplastic esophageal lesions (27.0%) and 28 out of the 68 samples from non-neoplastic group (41.2%). EBV DNA was detected in esophageal specimens of 10 out of the 100 neoplastic cases (10%) and 3 out of the 68 samples in non- neoplastic group (4.4%). MCPyV DNA was detected in esophageal specimens of 30 out of the 100 neoplastic cases (30.0%) and 24 out of the 68 samples in non- neoplastic group (35.3%). There was no statistically significant difference in HPV (p=0.066), EBV (p=0.143) and MCPyV (p=0.471) DNA positivity between neoplastic and non-neoplastic groups. Conclusions: This study showed that HPV, EBV and MCPyV can be detected in both neoplastic and non-neoplastic esophageal tissues and weakens the hypothesis of the pathogenic role of these viruses in esophageal malignant transformation.