High Proportion of Cytomegalovirus DNA from Tissue Samples of Non Small Cell Lung Carcinoma in Persahabatan Hospital National Respiratory Center, Indonesia.

BACKGROUND

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a virus with high seroprevalence in general population. Recent evidence shows that CMV is linked to various types of cancer, including lung cancer. This study aims to determine the relationship between CMV and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Data from this study will be useful for further research in elucidating the link between CMV and lung cancer.

METHOD: This research was an observational study using a cross-sectional method to determine the proportion of CMV DNA in NSCLC tissue samples. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples were taken from archival at Persahabatan Hospital on 2017-2023. The detection of CMV was carried out using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and electrophoresis. Accompanying data was taken from medical records.

RESULTS

A total of 87 tissue samples from 87 different subjects were included in this study. Most of the research subjects were male smokers, had a heavy Brinkman index with an average age of 59.1 years. The proportion of CMV DNA detected in FFPE samples was 21%. The proportion of CMV DNA was higher in tissue samples with positive EGFR mutations although not statistically significant. The proportion of CMV DNA was not related to smoking status, Brinkman index, tissue sampling method, and NSCLC subtype.

CONCLUSION

High proportion of cytomegalovirus DNA were detected in NSCLC FFPE samples in Indonesia. The proportion of CMV DNA was higher in NSCLC with EGFR mutations.