A cancer diagnosis often comes as a surprise to patients, as the symptoms of many cancers can resemble other common conditions. A new study has drawn attention to another risk factor: childhood infections.
Scientists in the UK have found that the BK virus (polyomavirus), which most people are infected with at an early age and usually has a cold-like course, can cause DNA damage. This could affect the risk of developing bladder cancer in the future, the Independent reports.
According to the study's author, Dr. Simon Baker from the University of York, the key discovery was that the changes in cells do not only occur in areas infected with the virus.
“ We found that DNA damage occurs not only in infected cells, but also in neighboring cells, which can subsequently cause their damage. This is important because it explains why most cases of bladder cancer do not contain signs of the virus at the time of diagnosis, although the process itself could have started much earlier ,” the researcher noted.
BK virus is considered common and usually does not cause serious symptoms. After infection, it enters a latent state and “resides” in a person’s kidneys.
The virus is most dangerous for kidney transplant patients who are taking immunosuppressants. In such people, the virus can "wake up", begin to actively multiply, and cause damage to the kidneys or bladder.
Doctors emphasize that the reactivation of the virus in immunosuppressed patients has long been known, but scientists are only beginning to understand the mechanism that can explain the long-term effect on healthy cells.
The study helps explain why many cases of bladder cancer show no direct evidence of a viral infection — even though DNA damage could have been caused by it.
Scientists emphasize that the findings do not mean that the BK virus itself causes cancer, but its influence may be one of the factors that increase the likelihood of mutations in cells.
Further research should answer how to prevent these changes and whether risks for patients can be reduced in the future.
