Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus in relation to testicular-cancer risk: a nested case-control study.
An infectious etiology of testicular cancer has been suggested. We have evaluated seroreactivity against cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in relation to testicular-cancer risk in a case-control study, nested within a cohort of prospectively collected serum specimens from 293,692 individuals. For each of 81 cases of testicular cancer identified, 3 controls were randomly selected from the cohort. Serum IgG antibody titers against CMV and EBV were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and immunofluorescence methods. Odds ratios (OR) were obtained from conditional logistic-regression models. No association was found between CMV positivity and testicular cancer overall (OR = 1.08; 95% confidence interval 0.60-1.94); risk for testicular seminoma was increased among CMV seropositive [OR = 1.70 (0.80-3.59)], whereas seropositivity was associated with decreased risk for testicular non-seminoma [OR = 0.54 (0.19-1.56)] (p for heterogeneity, 0.09). For EBV, the risk for testicular cancer was increased among individuals seropositive for viral capsid antigen (VCA) [OR = 2.74 (0.62-12.12)]. The results lend some support to the hypothesis of an infectious etiology, and we propose that future studies should take into account age at infection.
Akre
O
O
Department of Medical Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. olof.akre@mep.ki.se
Lipworth
L
L
Tretli
S
S
Linde
A
A
Engstrand
L
L
Adami
H O
HO
Melbye
M
M
Andersen
A
A
Ekbom
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral