ABSTRACT
Cytomegalo virus is a ubiquitious virus, it presents an asymtomatic infection in the immunocompetent host, but in an immunocompromised patients it causes morbidity and sometimes mortality in these types of patients.This study investigates cytomegalovirus IgG among cancer patients attending Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria. A total of 267 blood samples were collected for the study. 178 samples were collected from cancer patients and 89 samples from non cancer patients (controls). Dermographic and other clinic information of the patients were taken in to account using the questionnaire. Samples were collected for a period of three months. The case studies were histopathologically confirmed cancer cases and a control population from non- cancer patients. Blood samples were collected in a sterile plain container,centrifuged, and sera was obtained. These sera were stored in the freezer untill all the 267 samples were collected. Sera samples were screened against CMV IgG, HIV and Total Human IgG with Cytomegalovirus IgG ELISA kits, "Determine" HIV test strip as well as Total human IgG kits respectively. Students T-test and One way ANOVA were used as statistical tools for the analysis of the result. Dermographic information generated in this study reveals that females have higher number of cancer cases than males, adults of age 40years and above have the highest cancer cases. And marital status, educational status, place of residence do not pose as risk factors for cancers. The study further reveals that mean CMV IgG titers of cancer patients varied significantly to that of control population (non-cancer patients). Cervical cancer was to have the highest prevalence followed by breast cancer, then nasopharyngeal cancer. Oropharyngeal cancer was found to have the highest mean CMV IgG. The cancer patients that were diagnosed with HIV had the highest mean Total Human IgG. Based on the results obtained, the study recommends combined treatment of CMV as well as other therapeutic measures for better management of the cancer patients. Patients with immunosupressive diseases should be screened against vii CMV. Antenatal patients should also be screened against CMV and if infected the patients should be treated to prevent mother to child transmission.