Polyoma virus infection is a prominent risk factor for bladder carcinoma in immunocompetent individuals

Despite various reports of BK viral (BKV) DNA sequences or proteins in tumors of the urogenital tract, there has been no study statistically linking infection by this polyoma virus (PV) to tumor development. All PV are potential transforming viruses, the large T-antigen of which interacts with tumor suppressor proteins. Here, we have performed a cross-sectional study of 3,782 patients having had urine cytologic analyses, comparing those diagnosed with PV infection with those not so diagnosed. In order to focus on immunocompetent individuals, renal transplant patients, for whom a diagnosis of PV infection followed immunosuppressive therapy, were excluded. Among the 133 immunocompetent patients diagnosed with PV infection, the most frequently occurring neoplasms were bladder carcinoma (15.8%) and prostate carcinoma (3.8%). The incidence of bladder carcinoma was sufficient to statistically establish temporality in a two-sided test, linking a prior diagnosis of PV infection to a subsequent diagnosis of bladder carcinoma (odds ratio = 3.419, P < 0.001).