Association between human Papillomavirus (HPV) and breast cancer in Iranian patients

Viruses, such as human Papillomavirus (HPV), have been detected in benign breast tissues and breast tumors and are considered to be involved in the etiology of breast cancer, but there are controversial data on the meaning of viral induction of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of human Papillomavirus (HPV) in Iranian patients with breast carcinoma. In this case- control study, paraffin-embedded sections from 64 female patients with breast carcinoma and 53 breast tissues from patients with fibrocystic disease, as control, were analyzed for presence of HPV DNA. Real-Time PCR was used to amplify consensus GP5+/GP6+ HPV sequences. HPV DNA sequences were detected in 3 of the 53 benign breast tissue samples, but none of the breast carcinoma samples was identified. Our analysis could not confirm a role of HPV in breast cancer.