EBV, HPV, and MMTV positive and negative according to patient and breast cancer characteristics.

These data are based on DNA extracts from 50 fresh frozen invasive breast tumours. There are small variations in the numbers of specimens analysed for each virus because of inadequate outcomes of some analyses based on standard PCR. The p values based on the Chi – square test are for differences in the presence of viruses between grades of breast cancer. The p values are not included for data based on immunohistochemistry because of low numbers.These data indicate: (i) patients with HPV, EBV and MMTV positive breast cancer are significantly younger than patients with viral negative breast cancer, (ii) there is a non-significant increase in grade of EBV and MMTV positive breast cancer, (iii) the expression of apoptopic p53 protein is not inhibited in HPV positive breast cancer as it is in HPV positive cervical cancer.