HERPESVIRUSES AND CANCER IN MAN AND SUBHUMAN PRIMATES

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • review article
    • Vol. 24  (5) , 286-305
Abstract
Because there is strong evidence for the involvement of Epstein-Barr virus [EBV] in the etiology of Burkitt''s lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the relationship of EBV to these 2 diseases is discussed in the context of geographic distribution, pathology, epidemiology, genetics, immunovirology, and biochemistry. The relationship of EBV to other diseases, malignant and non-malignant, is also considered. Although the etiologic relationship of herpes simplex virus type 2 to squamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix is not firm, some good evidence does exist. Two oncogenic simian viruses, Herpesvirus saimiri and Herpesvirus ateles are very similar to EBV, and thus may provide models for the study of viral-induced oncogenesis in man. Agents similar to EBV were isolated from old world monkeys. These may be important in the investigation of human virally-induced cancers.