Mesothelioma - Can the SV-40 Virus Cause It?
The vast majority of Mesothelioma cases are caused by exposure to asbestos in the workplace or at home. This is a common statement put forth about the cancer, but you'll note it doesn't state that all cases are caused by asbestos exposure. There are instances where asbestos is not involved. One that is garnering attention is whether the SV-40 Virus might cause it.
SV-40 stands for Simiun Virus 40, which is to say it is derived from monkeys. How did this virus become a concern to humans? Well, polio was once a huge health problem. A vaccine was developed for it that has largely eradicated the disease. Oh, there was one small problem. The vaccine was grown on monkey kidneys. Some of the monkeys had contracted SV-40. While not impacting the effectiveness of the vaccine, the virus did travel along with it into some human hosts.
So, what's the big deal? Well, Mesothelioma is a hotly researched form of cancer. One of the methods of studying it is to look at the tumors it produces. In doing so, researches started discovering something very odd. SV-40 was being found in Mesothelioma cancer growths where the patient reported no exposure to asbestos at any point in their life. Researchers started to question whether the virus could be a cause of the cancer in the absence of any asbestos exposure.
There have long been Mesothelioma cases that seemed to have no explanations when it comes to cause. Children as young as two have been diagnosed despite the fact they've never been exposed to asbestos and despite the fact the gestation time should take 20 years or more. Then there have been cases in very remote parts of the world where there is no asbestos and no seeming natural cause at all. Could all of this be explained by the SV-40 virus?
The answer is both clear and unclear. There are plenty of Mesothelioma cases derived from asbestos exposure that show no hint of the virus being present. In turn, there are a few cases where no asbestos exposure is reported, but the SV-40 virus is present in the cancerous growth. At this point, there simply is no clear answer. While the virus may have some relationship, it does not appear to be a smoking gun it the Mesothelioma field of research.