Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026
Reconstruct Human Retinoblastoma In Vitro
Published on: October 11, 2022
Human papilloma virus in retinoblastoma tissues from Korean patients
Na-Kyung Ryoo1, Ji-Eun Kim, Ho-Kyung Choung
1Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Insights
Human papilloma virus (HPV) was not detected in Korean retinoblastoma samples. This suggests that HPV infection may not be linked to retinoblastoma in this population.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Oncology
- Virology
Background:
- Recent reports suggest a potential association between human papilloma virus (HPV) and retinoblastoma.
- Investigating viral links to cancers like retinoblastoma is crucial for understanding disease etiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is associated with retinoblastoma in the Korean population.
- To investigate the presence of high- and low-risk HPV DNA in retinoblastoma tissues.
Main Methods:
- Retinoblastoma tissues from 54 Korean patients were analyzed.
- In situ hybridization was used to detect HPV DNA in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples.
- Probes for both high-risk and low-risk HPV types were employed.
Main Results:
- Human papilloma virus (HPV) DNA was not detected in any of the 54 retinoblastoma samples analyzed.
- The study included patients diagnosed with retinoblastoma, with a mean age at diagnosis of 22.0 months.
Conclusions:
- This study, the first of its kind in Korea, found no evidence of HPV infection in retinoblastoma.
- The findings suggest that HPV may not play a causal role in the development of retinoblastoma among Koreans.
Purpose:
Recent reports suggest the association of human papilloma virus (HPV) with retinoblastoma. This study was performed to elucidate whether HPV infection is related to retinoblastoma among Koreans.
Methods:
A total of 54 cases diagnosed with retinoblastoma were enrolled from Seoul National University Children's Hospital and Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center. Presence of human papilloma viral DNA was detected by in situ hybridization in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded retinoblastoma tissues using both probes against high- and low risk HPV types.
Results:
The mean age at diagnosis was 22.0 months (range, 1.1 to 98.0 months), and the mean age at enucleation was 27.8 months (range, 1.5 to 112.7 months) among the 54 patients with retinoblastoma. HPV was not detected in any of the retinoblastoma samples using either high risk or low risk HPV probes.
Conclusions:
Our study, being the first study in the Korean population, proposes that HPV infection may have no causal relationship with retinoblastoma in Koreans.
Related Concept Videos
01:20The Retinoblastoma Gene
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
01:20The Retinoblastoma Gene
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
01:03Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
01:03Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...