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Toxoplasma gondii & Human Phenotype

Compendium of Known Effects and Ongoing Research

brain cancer

Role of infectious agents in the carcinogenesis of brain and head and neck cancers

October 10, 2013 33 Comments
Alibek K, Kakpenova A, Baiken Y.
Infectious agents and cancer 2013; 8
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This review concentrates on tumours that are anatomically localised in head and neck regions. Brain cancers and head and neck cancers together account for more than 873,000 cases annually worldwide, with an increasing incidence each year. With poor survival rates at late stages, brain and head and neck cancers represent serious conditions. Carcinogenesis is a multi-step process and the role of infectious agents in this progression has not been fully identified. A major problem with such research is that the role of many infectious agents may be underestimated due to the lack of or inconsistency in experimental data obtained globally. In the case of brain cancer, no infection has been accepted as directly oncogenic, although a number of viruses and parasites are associated with the malignancy. Our analysis of the literature showed the presence of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in distinct types of brain tumour, namely glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and medulloblastoma. In particular, there are reports of viral protein in up to 100% of GBM specimens. Several epidemiological studies reported associations of brain cancer and toxoplasmosis seropositivity. In head and neck cancers, there is a distinct correlation between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Considering that almost every undifferentiated NPC is EBV-positive, virus titer levels can be measured to screen high-risk populations. In addition there is an apparent association between human papilloma virus (HPV) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC); specifically, 26% of HNSCCs are positive for HPV. HPV type 16 was the most common type detected in HNSCCs (90%) and its dominance is even greater than that reported in cervical carcinoma. Although there are many studies showing an association of infectious agents with cancer, with various levels of involvement and either a direct or indirect causative effect, there is a scarcity of articles covering the role of infection in carcinogenesis of brain and head and neck cancers. We review recent studies on the infectious origin of these cancers and present our current understanding of carcinogenic mechanisms, thereby providing possible novel approaches to cancer treatment.

Tagged: bk epstein-barr-virus, brain cancer, carcinogenesis, central-nervous-system, cytomegalovirus, cytomegalovirus-infection, epstein-barr-virus, head and neck cancer, hiv, human papilloma virus, human polyomavirus, kaposis-sarcoma lung-cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, polyomavirus, squamous-cell carcinoma, streptococcus anginosus, streptococcus-anginosus infection, Toxoplasma, Toxoplasma gondii

Physical health

Incidence of adult brain cancers is higher in countries where the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is common

October 11, 2012 13 Comments
Thomas, F., Lafferty, K. D., Brodeur, J., Elguero, E., Gauthier-Clerc, M., Misse, D.
Biology Letters 2012; 8: 101-103
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We explored associations between the common protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii and brain cancers in human populations. We predicted that T. gondii could increase the risk of brain cancer because it is a long-lived parasite that encysts in the brain, where it provokes inflammation and inhibits apoptosis. We used a medical geography approach based on the national incidence of brain cancers and seroprevalence of T. gondii. We corrected reports of incidence for national gross domestic product because wealth probably increases the ability to detect cancer. We also included gender, cell phone use and latitude as variables in our initial models. Prevalence of T. gondii explained 19 per cent of the residual variance in brain cancer incidence after controlling for the positive effects of gross domestic product and latitude among nations. Infection with T. gondii was associated with a 1.8-fold increase in the risk of brain cancers across the range of T. gondii prevalence in our dataset (4-67%). These results, though correlational, suggest that T. gondii should be investigated further as a possible oncogenic pathogen of humans

Tagged: antibodies, brain cancer, Epidemiology, infection, inflammation, medical geography, neoplasms, Toxoplasma gondii, tumors

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