The team analyzed the data of 771 patients transplanted for hepatocellular carcinoma between 2010 and 2015. 30.5 percent of the patients experienced virus reactivation after an average of 41.5 days post-transplant, and over a 7.4-year follow-up, 13 percent experienced tumor recurrence. Statistical analysis revealed that those who had experienced cytomegalovirus reactivation had a significantly lower risk of cancer recurrence.
«While the exact reasons for this protective effect are still unknown, one hypothesis is that the immune system, when activated against the virus, could also help to slow the growth of tumor cells,» explain the study’s authors.
Cytomegalovirus is a very common virus belonging to the herpesvirus family, which typically remains latent in the body after initial infection. In healthy individuals, it rarely causes symptoms, but it can reactivate in immunocompromised patients, such as transplant recipients.
Although this reactivation is usually considered an adverse event due to its association with infections, graft rejection, and other complications, this new study suggests that it could have a beneficial effect on the evolution of liver cancer.
This finding opens up new research avenues to better understand the interaction between viral infections, the immune system, and cancer. «In the medium to long term, it could lead to the development of therapeutic strategies based on stimulating antiviral immunity to prevent tumor relapse in transplant patients,» concludes the research team.
FUENTE