Prostate, breast and gynecological cancer markers RAK with homology to HIV-1

Breast and gynecological cancer-associated antigens RAK p120, p42, and p25 exhibit molecular, immunological and genetic homology to HIV-1 proteins. Normal tissues, including the majority of tissues adjacent to cancer, do not express these unique cancer markers. Antigens RAK are now detected in 100% of prostate cancer and in the majority of prostate benign hyperplasia (BPH) cases. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with HIV-1 gp41-derived primers revealed prostate cancer-associated DNA fragments of similar size (140 bp) as in HIV-1 genome. Ninety-five percent of BPH samples obtained from prostate cancer patients tested PCR-positive. For comparison, only 61.9% of BPH samples obtained from cancer-free patients tested PCR positive. The DNA fragments amplified in prostate cancer and in BPH showed more than 90% homology to the HIV-1 gene for gp41. The obtained results strongly suggest that a retrovirus related to HIV-1 may be associated with cancers of the reproductive system. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.