Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus in relation to testicular-cancer risk: A nested case-control study

An infectious etiology of testicular cancer has been suggested. We have eva luated seroreactivity against cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in relation to testicular-cancer risk in a case-control study, nested within a cohort of prospectively collected serum specimens from 293,692 in dividuals. For each of 81 cases of testicular cancer identified, 3 controls were randomly selected from the cohort. Serum IgG antibody titers against CMV and EBV were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA s) and immunofluorescence methods. Odds ratios (OR) were obtained from cond itional logistic-regression models. No association was found between CMV po sitivity and testicular cancer overall (OR = 1.08; 95% confidence interval 0.60-1.94); risk for testicular seminoma was increased among CMV seropositi ve [OR = 1.70 (0.80-3.59)], whereas seropositivity was associated with decr eased risk for testicular nonseminoma [OR = 0.54 (0.19-1.56)] (p for hetero geneity, 0.09), For EBV, the risk for testicular cancer was increased among individuals seropositive for viral capsid antigen (VCA) [OR = 2.74 (0.62-1 2.12)]. The results lend some support to the hypothesis of an infectious et iology, and we propose that future studies should take into account age at infection. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.