Increased Detection of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer and Its Association with Host Immunogenetic Profile
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Patients
2.2. Molecular Diagnosis of MCPyV and Cytokine Genotyping
2.3. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. MCPyV Detection by Age, Sex, Ethnicity, and Lesion Type
3.2. Variability of MCPyV Detection According to Tissue Source and Sun Exposure
3.3. Association Between MCPyV Detection and Cytokine Gene Polymorphisms
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
MCPyV | Merkel cell polyomavirus |
NMSC | Non-melanoma skin cancer |
qPCR | Real-time PCR |
BCC | Basal cell carcinoma |
SCC | Squamous cell carcinoma |
MCC | Merkel cell carcinoma |
IL-6 | Interleukin-6 |
IL-10 | Interleukin-10 |
TNF-α | Tumor necrosis factor-alpha |
IFN-γ | Interferon-gamma |
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Variable | n (%) | MCPyV Detection (%) | p Value |
---|---|---|---|
Gender | |||
Male | 44 (52.4) | 53.2 | 0.224 |
Female | 40 (47.6) | 46.8 | |
Ethnicity | |||
White | 70 (85.4) | 39.7 | 0.749 |
Non-white | 14 (14.6) | 45.5 | |
Age [mean yr. (range)] | 67 (17–91) | - | 0.354 |
Skin lesion | |||
BCC | 56 (66.7) | 38.2 | 0.674 |
SCC | 7 (8.3) | 42.9 | |
NCL | 21 (25) | 50 |
Category | MCPyV+ | MCPyV− |
---|---|---|
Solar exposure | ||
Low | 4 (25.0%) | 12 (75.0%) |
Moderate | 8 (29.6%) | 19 (70.4%) |
High | 45 (42.9%) | 60 (57.1%) |
Type of sample | ||
Surgical margin | 21 (23.3%) | 69 (76.7%) |
Healthy skin | 16 (31.4%) | 35 (68.6%) |
NMSC a | 33 (37.5%) | 55 (62.5%) |
NCL b | 11 (44.0%) | 14 (56.0%) |
Paired concordance c | ||
Overall agreement | 13 (15.1%) | 47 (54.7%) |
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de Souza, L.R.A.; Baez, C.F.; Bellott, T.R.; Pereira, M.S.; Gonçalves, M.T.V.; Guimarães, M.A.A.M.; Luz, F.B.; Varella, R.B. Increased Detection of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer and Its Association with Host Immunogenetic Profile. Dermato 2025, 5, 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/dermato5030014
de Souza LRA, Baez CF, Bellott TR, Pereira MS, Gonçalves MTV, Guimarães MAAM, Luz FB, Varella RB. Increased Detection of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer and Its Association with Host Immunogenetic Profile. Dermato. 2025; 5(3):14. https://doi.org/10.3390/dermato5030014
Chicago/Turabian Stylede Souza, Leonardo Ribeiro Alves, Camila Freze Baez, Thiago Rubim Bellott, Milena Siqueira Pereira, Marianna Tavares Venceslau Gonçalves, Maria Angelica Arpon Marandino Guimarães, Flávio Barbosa Luz, and Rafael Brandão Varella. 2025. "Increased Detection of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer and Its Association with Host Immunogenetic Profile" Dermato 5, no. 3: 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/dermato5030014
APA Stylede Souza, L. R. A., Baez, C. F., Bellott, T. R., Pereira, M. S., Gonçalves, M. T. V., Guimarães, M. A. A. M., Luz, F. B., & Varella, R. B. (2025). Increased Detection of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer and Its Association with Host Immunogenetic Profile. Dermato, 5(3), 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/dermato5030014