Prevalence of Torque Teno Virus (TTV) in Cervical Precursor Lesions and Cancer in Chilean Women

Matías Guzmán-Venegas; Carolina Moreno-León; Cristian Andrade-Madrigal; Alejandra Román; Rancés Blanco; Iván Gallegos; Francisco Aguayo

doi:10.3390/ijms262211039

Prevalence of Torque Teno Virus (TTV) in Cervical Precursor Lesions and Cancer in Chilean Women

Título traducido de la contribución: Prevalencia del virus Torque Teno (TTV) en lesiones precursoras cervicales y cáncer en mujeres chilenas

Matías Guzmán-Venegas
, Carolina Moreno-León
, Cristian Andrade-Madrigal
, Alejandra Román
, Rancés Blanco
, Iván Gallegos
, Francisco Aguayo

Producción científica: Contribución a una revista › Artículo › revisión exhaustiva

Resumen

El virus Torque teno (TTV) es un virus de ADN altamente prevalente en humanos, pero su papel en la carcinogénesis no se comprende del todo. Si bien el virus del papiloma humano (VPH) es un agente etiológico bien establecido en el cáncer cervicouterino, las coinfecciones con otros virus, como el virus de Epstein-Barr (VEB) o el TTV, pueden influir en la progresión de la enfermedad. Realizamos un estudio transversal con 94 muestras de tejido cervical fijadas en formalina e incluidas en parafina (FFPE). Estas muestras se obtuvieron de mujeres con lesiones intraepiteliales cervicales (CINI-III) o carcinoma de células escamosas (CCE) en el Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile. Tras la extracción de ADN, se analizó la presencia de TTV mediante reacción en cadena de la polimerasa en tiempo real (qPCR). El análisis estadístico se realizó mediante la prueba exacta de Fisher. De las 94 muestras, 83 resultaron positivas para el gen de la β-globina humana y se incluyeron en el análisis final. Se detectó TTV en el 12,0 % (10/83) de estas muestras. Entre los casos positivos para TTV, el virus se detectó con mayor frecuencia en lesiones de alto grado (70,0 %), seguido de lesiones de bajo grado (20,0 %) y carcinoma de células escamosas (10,0 %). Sin embargo, estas diferencias no fueron estadísticamente significativas (p = 0,688). Este es el primer estudio que evalúa la prevalencia de TTV en lesiones cervicales en mujeres chilenas. Si bien no se encontraron asociaciones estadísticamente significativas, se detectó una mayor frecuencia de TTV en lesiones precursoras en comparación con el carcinoma de células escamosas. Se requieren estudios adicionales para comprender el posible papel inmunomodulador del TTV en la carcinogénesis cervical.

Título traducido de la contribución	Prevalencia del virus Torque Teno (TTV) en lesiones precursoras cervicales y cáncer en mujeres chilenas
Idioma original	Inglés
Número de artículo	11039
Publicación	International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Volumen	26
N.º	22
DOI	https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262211039
Estado	Publicada - 13 nov. 2025

Palabras clave

Virus del par de torsión
Cáncer
Cervical
Lesiones

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@article{72fafd06d49f4de1a9eb35ba7d4bd524,

title = "Prevalence of Torque Teno Virus (TTV) in Cervical Precursor Lesions and Cancer in Chilean Women",

abstract = "Torque teno virus (TTV) is a highly prevalent DNA virus in humans, but its role in carcinogenesis is not well understood. While human papillomavirus (HPV) is a well-established etiological agent in cervical cancer, co-infections with other viruses such as Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) or TTV may influence disease progression. We conducted a cross-sectional study using 94 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cervical tissue samples. These specimens were collected from women with cervical intraepithelial lesions (CINI-III) or squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) at the Clinical Hospital of the University of Chile. After extracting DNA, we screened for TTV using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher{\textquoteright}s exact test. Of the 94 samples, 83 were positive for the human β-globin gene and included in the final analysis. TTV was detected in 12.0\% (10/83) of these samples. Among the TTV-positive cases, the virus was most frequently detected in high-grade lesions (70.0\%), followed by low-grade lesions (20.0\%) and squamous cell carcinoma (10.0\%). However, these differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.688). This is the first study to assess TTV prevalence in cervical lesions among Chilean women. Although we found no statistically significant associations, a higher frequency of TTV was detected in precursor lesions compared to SCC. Further studies are needed to understand the potential immunomodulatory role of TTV in cervical carcinogenesis.",

keywords = "Torque teno virus, Cancer, Cervical, Lesions, Virus del par de torsi{\'o}n, C{\'a}ncer, Cervical, Lesiones",

author = "Mat{\'i}as Guzm{\'a}n-Venegas and Carolina Moreno-Le{\'o}n and Cristian Andrade-Madrigal and Alejandra Rom{\'a}n and Ranc{\'e}s Blanco and Iv{\'a}n Gallegos and Francisco Aguayo",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 by the authors.",

year = "2025",

month = nov,

day = "13",

doi = "10.3390/ijms262211039",

language = "English",

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T1 - Prevalence of Torque Teno Virus (TTV) in Cervical Precursor Lesions and Cancer in Chilean Women

AU - Guzmán-Venegas, Matías

AU - Moreno-León, Carolina

AU - Andrade-Madrigal, Cristian

AU - Román, Alejandra

AU - Blanco, Rancés

AU - Gallegos, Iván

AU - Aguayo, Francisco

PY - 2025/11/13

Y1 - 2025/11/13

N2 - Torque teno virus (TTV) is a highly prevalent DNA virus in humans, but its role in carcinogenesis is not well understood. While human papillomavirus (HPV) is a well-established etiological agent in cervical cancer, co-infections with other viruses such as Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) or TTV may influence disease progression. We conducted a cross-sectional study using 94 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cervical tissue samples. These specimens were collected from women with cervical intraepithelial lesions (CINI-III) or squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) at the Clinical Hospital of the University of Chile. After extracting DNA, we screened for TTV using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher’s exact test. Of the 94 samples, 83 were positive for the human β-globin gene and included in the final analysis. TTV was detected in 12.0% (10/83) of these samples. Among the TTV-positive cases, the virus was most frequently detected in high-grade lesions (70.0%), followed by low-grade lesions (20.0%) and squamous cell carcinoma (10.0%). However, these differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.688). This is the first study to assess TTV prevalence in cervical lesions among Chilean women. Although we found no statistically significant associations, a higher frequency of TTV was detected in precursor lesions compared to SCC. Further studies are needed to understand the potential immunomodulatory role of TTV in cervical carcinogenesis.

AB - Torque teno virus (TTV) is a highly prevalent DNA virus in humans, but its role in carcinogenesis is not well understood. While human papillomavirus (HPV) is a well-established etiological agent in cervical cancer, co-infections with other viruses such as Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) or TTV may influence disease progression. We conducted a cross-sectional study using 94 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cervical tissue samples. These specimens were collected from women with cervical intraepithelial lesions (CINI-III) or squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) at the Clinical Hospital of the University of Chile. After extracting DNA, we screened for TTV using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher’s exact test. Of the 94 samples, 83 were positive for the human β-globin gene and included in the final analysis. TTV was detected in 12.0% (10/83) of these samples. Among the TTV-positive cases, the virus was most frequently detected in high-grade lesions (70.0%), followed by low-grade lesions (20.0%) and squamous cell carcinoma (10.0%). However, these differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.688). This is the first study to assess TTV prevalence in cervical lesions among Chilean women. Although we found no statistically significant associations, a higher frequency of TTV was detected in precursor lesions compared to SCC. Further studies are needed to understand the potential immunomodulatory role of TTV in cervical carcinogenesis.

KW - Torque teno virus

KW - Cancer

KW - Cervical

KW - Lesions

KW - Virus del par de torsión

KW - Cáncer

KW - Cervical

KW - Lesiones

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105022932283

U2 - 10.3390/ijms262211039

DO - 10.3390/ijms262211039

M3 - Article

C2 - 41303521

SN - 1661-6596

VL - 26

JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

IS - 22

M1 - 11039

ER -

Prevalence of Torque Teno Virus (TTV) in Cervical Precursor Lesions and Cancer in Chilean Women

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