Common childhood virus linked to bladder cancer
By jacobthomas // 2025-12-08
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  • Research reveals the common BK virus, usually dormant after childhood infection, can cause DNA damage in bladder cells that may lead to cancer decades later. This occurs through the body's own defensive response to the virus, not through the virus directly integrating into DNA.
  • The virus-triggered damage affects not only infected cells but also nearby healthy "bystander cells." This explains why bladder tumors often show no trace of the virus itself at diagnosis.
  • The findings explain why kidney transplant recipients (who take immunosuppressants) are over three times more likely to develop bladder cancer, as these drugs can allow dormant BK virus to reactivate.
  • While smoking remains the leading preventable cause, this discovery introduces a significant viral component to bladder cancer's origins, potentially reshaping understanding of the disease in the general population.
  • The study opens a new frontier for prevention, suggesting that future interventions or treatments targeting the BK virus could help stop these cancers from developing.
In a discovery that researchers are calling a "major shift in thinking," a common virus contracted by most people in childhood may be a hidden driver of bladder cancer later in life. The findings, published in Science Advances, reveal how the BK virus, often causing mild, cold-like symptoms, can trigger DNA damage in bladder tissue, potentially setting the stage for cancer decades later. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, the BK virus is a polyomavirus first identified in 1971 from a kidney transplant patient, named after his initials. It spreads through bodily fluids like saliva and urine and can be transmitted from mother to child during birth. The research, led by scientists at the University of York, specifically identifies how the body's own defense mechanism against the BK virus causes genetic changes in bladder cells. This damage occurs not only in infected cells but also in surrounding, healthy “bystander cells,” a process that may explain why bladder tumors, when diagnosed, often show no trace of the virus itself. "In other types of virus-related cancer, such as cervical cancer, we know that virus DNA combines with our own genetic material to drive tumor development," explained Dr. Simon Baker, the study's lead. "Our results have shown that in the bladder, the tissue's defensive response to the virus causes DNA changes which can lead to cancer. This is a major shift in our thinking about the origins of bladder cancers." The BK virus is typically contracted in early childhood, causing flu-like symptoms before retreating into a dormant state within the kidneys, bladder and ureters. In individuals with robust immune systems, it remains inactive. However, the virus can reactivate in those who become immunocompromised, presenting a particular danger for kidney transplant patients. These patients take powerful immunosuppressant drugs to prevent organ rejection, inadvertently allowing the dormant virus to reawaken.

Smoking remains the leading preventable cause

The study sheds new light on why kidney transplant recipients are over three times more likely to develop bladder cancer. "Because kidney transplant recipients are affected by BK virus and are over three times more likely to develop bladder cancer we suspected that BK virus was involved, but we didn't know how," Dr. Baker said. "We can now see how BK virus may contribute to bladder cancer, in transplant recipients and the general population." This connection was tragically illustrated by Tim Tavender, 51, from Southampton. He developed BK virus after a kidney transplant in 2015 and was diagnosed with bladder cancer six years later after noticing blood in his urine, a classic warning sign. He underwent a 13-hour surgery to remove his bladder. "It was a terrifying experience," Tavender recalled. "BK virus made me feel sub-par, like constantly having the flu and lowering my immunosuppressants to fight it left me walking a medical tightrope." He expressed hope that the new research could prevent others from enduring his ordeal: "If scientists can find a new way to control BK virus, it could spare other people from going through what I did and that would be life-changing." The implications extend far beyond transplant patients, potentially reshaping the understanding of bladder cancer causes in general population. While smoking remains the leading preventable cause, accounting for about half of U.K. cases, this research introduces a significant viral component to the disease's complex origins. Dr. David Crosby, chief research officer at Kidney Research U.K., emphasized the preventive potential of the findings: "These findings move us closer to understanding why some people develop bladder cancer and show how tackling BK virus early could one day stop these cancers from developing at all." Bladder cancer is the 11th most common cancer in the U.K., with prominent figures like artist Tracey Emin and singer Frank Sinatra among those diagnosed. The study opens a new frontier for prevention strategies, suggesting that future interventions targeting the BK virus could reduce the burden of a disease that claims thousands of lives annually. For now, it stands as a stark reminder of the long, hidden shadows that childhood infections can cast. Watch this video about bladder cancer. This video is from the InfoHealth News channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: Brighteon.com BrightU.ai DailyMail.co.uk 1 DailyMail.co.uk 2
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