Bladder cancer could be caused by a common childhood virus – new research from the JBU
Huge research update!
Research which has been funded by York Against Cancer and Kidney Research UK has found that tackling a common childhood virus could open the door to preventing bladder cancer.
A study by Dr Simon Baker and colleagues in the Jack Birch Unit at the University of York, published yesterday in Science Advances, suggests that the body’s response to this virus – known as BK virus – can trigger DNA damage that can lead to bladder cancer later in life.
BK virus (also known as polyomarvirus) is contracted in childhood and establishes a life-long infection that usually lies dormant in the body in the kidney. This infection can reactivate at times when the immune system is weakened.
In laboratory studies using human cells that line the urinary tract (urothelium), the research team observed DNA damage patterns caused by the cell’s antiviral defences to BK virus. These patterns were reminiscent of the damage seen in bladder cancer DNA.
Importantly, the DNA damage was found not only in cells infected with BK virus, but also in their unaffected neighbours. This “bystander effect” of potentially cancer-causing DNA mutations forming in neighbour cells is very significant, because it might explain why bladder cancer patients have no sign of the virus in them when they are diagnosed many years later.
(Image description: Dr Simon Baker)
Dr Simon Baker, said, “Our results have shown that, in the bladder, the tissue’s defensive response to the virus causes DNA changes which can lead to cancer.
We think this research is incredibly exciting because it suggests that bladder cancer might be preventable. In the same way that we have tackled HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) to prevent cervical cancer, in the future we may be able to treat BK virus infections early and stop bladder cancer from ever developing.”
Kidney transplant recipients are at a three times greater risk of bladder cancer. In transplant recipients, BK virus is well known for reactivating and causing damage to the different cells that line the urinary tract from the kidneys, through the ureters (the connecting pipes) and into the bladder.
“We know that BK virus can cause bladder cancer in renal transplant patients, but the virus itself is missing from bladder cancers in the rest of the population. This mystery led to us asking the question of whether BK virus could be the culprit behind nearly all bladder cancers, but by a mechanism where the virus doesn’t need to be present in cancer cells.”
After showing that BK virus can indirectly cause the damage that initiates bladder cancer in the lab, the team will now be involved in designing clinical studies to confirm that there is a causal link between BK virus and bladder cancer.
“While more research is needed to confirm a causal link, this research marks a huge shift in our understanding. While we’ve long known that things like smoking increase cancer risk, this breakthrough means we can now envision a future where we might actually eradicate bladder cancer by stopping the initial virally triggered damage.”
(Image description: George Hatton in the lab)
York Against Cancer are particularly proud that part of this research was conducted by one of York Against Cancer’s junior scientists, George Hatton, who is training for his PhD at the University of York. Training cancer research scientists is a core part of the charity’s work and contributes to the cutting-edge research and care we all want to see in York and the wider region.
Professor Stephen Leveson, Board Member of York Against Cancer and Emeritus Professor of Surgery, said, “York Against Cancer are proud to be associated with research from the Jack Birch Unit at the University of York. There has, in the past, been a lack of investment in bladder cancer research which is prevalent and has worse outcomes in Yorkshire than the rest of the country.” This new research implicating the BK virus is very important in enhancing our knowledge of the oncogenic process and is potentially a way forward in diagnosis and treatment. We are grateful for the support of Kidney Research UK.”
Dr David Crosby, Chief Research Officer at Kidney Research UK, said, “These findings move us closer to understanding why some people develop bladder cancer and show how tackling BK virus early could one day stop these cancers from developing at all. For transplant patients, that could mean protecting both their kidney and their long-term health. That’s exactly the kind of impact we’re working to deliver.”
We want to say a huge thank you to Dr Simon Baker and the team at the Jack Birch Unit for their incredible research, and to all of our remarkable supporters, who have helped to make this life-changing research possible.
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