The Role of Viruses in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Young Patients in Khorasan (Northeast of Iran)

It seems that Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) in young adults is different from OSCC in older patients especially in risk factors. No significant habits are seen in younger patients. It is claimed that viral infections, especially human papillomavirus, are associated with several human carcinomas, especially oral cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of viruses in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) in young patients (20-40 years old) attending Mashhad Dental Faculty from 1996 to 2009 for the first time in Iranian population. Twenty one formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of patients under 40 years with clinical diagnosis of OSCC, who had referred to Mashhad Dental Faculty from 1996 and 2009, were evaluated for DNA extraction. All specimens were tested for presence of Human papilloma virus, Epstein-Barr virus, Herpes simplex virus type 1 and Cytomegalovirus virus. From 21 specimens, viruses were detected only in three cases. Two samples were positive for EBV and the third one was co-infected with EBV and HSV-1. All of our specimens were negative for HPV and CMV. We concluded that viruses had no important role in OSCC in our young patients. Further researches are needed to clarify this role and to identify other possible risk factors.