Introduction. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa) are among the most common urological diseases in men. It has been repeatedly suggested that viral infection plays an important role in prostate carcinogenesis.
Aim. To assess the relationship between viral infection and PCa, as well as the clinical and morphological features of BPH and PCa.
Materials and methods. A total of 98 patients undergoing treatment for BPH (n=48) or PCa (n=50) between 2019 and 2021 were included in the study. Real-time PCR on the surgical specimens for human papillomaviruses (HPV), herpes simplex viruses types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpes virus type 6 (HSV-6) was performed.
Results. In patients with PCa, viruses in prostate tissue were found more often compared to those with BPH (50.0 vs. 31.3%, respectively, p=0.046.) The most common virus in both PCa and BPH was EBV (22.0 vs. 16.7%, respectively). The second most common virus in patients with PCa was HSV-6 (20.0%), which was not detected in any men with BPH (p=0.003). There was a trend toward higher prevalence of CMV among patients with PCa (16.0% vs. 4.2%), but the difference was not significant (p=0.09). There was no association of viral infection with clinical and morphological features.
Conclusions. The resulting trend toward a higher prevalence of HSV-6 and CMV in patients with PCa compared to those with BPH creates the prerequisites for further study of viruses in prostate diseases involving a larger cohort, which will provide an idea of the multi-stage process of malignant transformation and, possibly, open new therapeutic options for prevention and treatment.

Keywords: oncology, viral infection, benign prostate hyperplasia, PCR, prostate cancer, morphology