Study confirms erroneous link between prostate cancer and retrovirus from mice

A once-promising discovery linking prostate cancer to an obscure retrovirus derived from mice was the result of an inadvertent laboratory contamination, a forensic analysis of tissue samples and lab experiments — some dating back nearly a decade — has confirmed. The connection, which scientists have questioned repeatedly over the last couple years, was first proposed more than six years ago, when the telltale signature of the virus, known as XMRV, was detected in genetic material derived from tissue samples taken from men with prostate cancer. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Lee D, et al. In-depth investigation of archival and prospectively collected samples reveals no evidence for XMRV infection in prostate cancer. PLOS One. Published online September 18, 2012.