Background: Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been detected in tissue samples from patients with glioblastoma, but its presence in blood has been less studied.
Methods: In this prospective study, we analyzed the levels of HCMV-DNA in 59 plasma samples obtained from patients with brain tumors and from 114 healthy blood donors as controls. Detection was performed using a sensitive qPCR assay.
Results: HCMV-IE DNA was detected in plasma samples from patients with glioblastoma (n = 18), astrocytoma grades II-III (n = 11), and brain metastasis (n = 8). These groups showed significantly lower ΔCT values than healthy donors (p < 0.0001 for glioblastoma and astrocytoma; p = 0.0007 for brain metastases), consistent with higher circulating viral DNA levels than in controls. No significant difference was observed between patients with secondary glioblastoma and healthy donors.
Conclusions: HCMV-DNA is present at higher levels in plasma from patients with glioblastoma, astrocytoma grades II–III, and brain metastases compared with healthy individuals. Quantification of HCMV DNA in plasma by qPCR is a reliable approach for detecting HCMV in brain tumour patients.