Significant prevalence of antibodies reacting with simian virus 40 mimotopes in sera from patients affected by glioblastoma multiforme

Background Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a rare tumour, which affects 1/100,000 individuals, but it represents 30% of central nervous system (CNS) malignancies. GBM is a severe tumor responsible of 2% of all cancer related deaths. GBM, although characterized by genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneities, invariably resists to conventional chemo- and radio-therapies. Several chromosome alterations and gene mutations were detected in GBM. Simian Virus 40 (SV40), a small DNA tumour virus, have been found in GBM specimens by some studies, while other other investigations did not confirm the association. Methods Indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with two synthetic peptides mimicking SV40 antigens of viral capsid proteins 1-3 was employed to detect specific antibodies against SV40 in serum samples from GBM affected patients, together with controls represented by patients affected by breast cancer and normal subjects, with the same median age. Results Our data indicate that in serum samples from GBM affected patients (n = 44) the prevalence of antibodies against SV40 VPs antigens is statistically significant higher (34%, P=0.016 and P=0.03) than in the control groups (15%), represented by healthy subjects (n=101) and patients affected by breast cancers (n=78), respectively. Conclusion Our data indicate that SV40, or a closely related yet undiscovered human polyomavirus, is associated with a subset of glioblastoma multiforme and circulates in humans. Our study can be transferred to the clinical oncology application to discriminate different types of the heterogeneous glioblastoma multiforme, which in turn may address an innovative therapeutic approach to this fatal cancer.