Potential Impact of Human Cytomegalovirus Infection on Immunity to Ovarian Tumours and Cancer Progression

Abstract

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most common, and life-threatening gynaecological cancer affecting females. Almost 75% of all OC cases are diagnosed at late stages, where the 5-year survival rate is less than 30%. The aetiology of the disease is still unclear, and there are currently no screening method nor effective treatment strategies for the advanced disease. A growing body of evidence shows that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infecting more than 50% of the world population, may play a role in inducing carcinogenesis through its immunomodulatory activities. In healthy subjects, the primary HCMV infection is essentially asymptomatic. The virus then establishes a life-long chronic latency primarily in the hematopoietic progenitor cells in the bone marrow, with periodic reactivation from latency that is often characterized by high levels of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines. Currently, infection-induced chronic inflammation is considered as an essential process for OC progression and metastasis. In line with this observation, few recent studies have identified high expressions of HCMV proteins on OC tissue biopsies that were associated with poor survival outcomes. Active HCMV infection in the OC tumour microenvironment may thus directly contribute to OC progression. In this review, we highlight the potential impact of HCMV infection-induced immunomodulatory effects on host immune responses to OC that may promote OC progression.

Tumor-Induced Inflammatory Cytokines and the Emerging Diagnostic Devices for Cancer Detection and Prognosis

“…The anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10 can paradoxically induce STAT-3 activation ( 34 ), which also leads to induction of tumor cell proliferation ( 35 – 37 ). Interestingly, the CMV-derived IL-10 also promotes the proliferation and migration of cancer cells ( 38 , 39 ), linking chronic infections such as CMV to cancer formation ( 40 ).…”

A Systematic Study of the Mechanism of Acacetin Against Sepsis Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation

“…In a previous study, lipid raft microdomains were shown to be essential components of phagolysosomal macrophage membranes and to play an essential role in antifungal immunity (Schmidt et al, 2020). Moreover, human cytomegalovirus infection was shown to potentially impact immunity (Cox et al, 2021). Thus, our subsequent research will be performed using macrophages.…”

Immune Landscape of CMV Infection in Cancer Patients: From “Canonical” Diseases Toward Virus-Elicited Oncomodulation

“…The contribution of HCMV infection in late inflammatory complications highlights its potential association with chronic diseases, such as atherosclerosis, chronic rejection following solid-organ transplantation, and malignancies (24). Recent investigations have reported the prevalence of HCMV infection in tumoral tissues of malignancies such as malignant glioma, breast and colon cancer, negative Hodgkin's disease, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), liver cancer, cervical cancer, and prostatic carcinoma (1,25,26). Despite the fact that HCMV is not yet included in the oncogenic viruses list, its possible contribution in carcinogenesis as initiator or promoter is significantly reported suggesting that HCMV and tumors express a symbiotic relationship (26)(27)(28)(29).…”

“…HCMV or human herpesvirus 5 (HHV-5) has co-evolved with mammalian hosts over millennia infecting almost 83% of the world’s population, impending 100% in developing countries ( 1 ). After initial infection, HCMV can establish lifelong persistence within its corresponding host as well as possessing the reactivation potential; viral persistence depends on composite interactions among various viral and host determinants.…”