Pathogenic Role of Epstein–Barr Virus in Lung Cancers

Human oncogenic viruses account for at least 12% of total cancer cases worldwide. Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is the first identified human oncogenic virus and it alone causes ~200,000 cancer cases and ~1.8% of total cancer-related death annually. Over the past 40 years, increasing lines of evidence ha...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: David Becnel, Ramsy Abdelghani, Asuka Nanbo, Janardhan Avilala, Jacob Kahn, Li Li, Zhen Lin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
Series:Viruses
Subjects:
EBV
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/5/877
Description
Summary:Human oncogenic viruses account for at least 12% of total cancer cases worldwide. Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is the first identified human oncogenic virus and it alone causes ~200,000 cancer cases and ~1.8% of total cancer-related death annually. Over the past 40 years, increasing lines of evidence have supported a causal link between EBV infection and a subgroup of lung cancers (LCs). In this article, we review the current understanding of the EBV-LC association and the etiological role of EBV in lung carcinogenesis. We also discuss the clinical impact of the knowledge gained from previous research, challenges, and future directions in this field. Given the high clinical relevance of EBV-LC association, there is an urgent need for further investigation on this topic.
ISSN:1999-4915