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Prevention and Treatment for Epstein–Barr Virus Infection and Related Cancers

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Viruses and Human Cancer

Part of the book series: Recent Results in Cancer Research ((RECENTCANCER,volume 193))

Abstract

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) was the first herpes virus described as being oncogenic in humans. EBV infection is implicated in post-transplant lymphoproliferative diseases (PTLD) and several other cancers in non-immunocompromised patients, with more than 200,000 new cases per year. While prevention of PTLD is improving, mainly based on EBV monitoring and preemptive tapering of immunosuppression, early diagnosis remains the best current option for the other malignancies. Significant progress has been achieved in treatment, with decreased mortality and morbidity, but some challenges are still to face, especially for the more aggressive diseases. Possible prevention by EBV vaccination would be a more global approach of this public health problem, but further active research is needed before this goal could be reached.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université Catholique de Louvain, Cliniques Universitaires St-Luc, Avenue Hippocrate 10/1301, 1200, Brussels, Belgium

    Françoise Smets

  2. Université Catholique de Louvain, Cliniques Universitaires St-Luc, Brussels, Belgium

    Etienne M. Sokal

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  1. Françoise Smets
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  2. Etienne M. Sokal
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Correspondence to Françoise Smets .

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  1. Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Mei Hwei Chang

  2. Molecular Virology Section, Lab. of Mole, National Institute of Allergy and Infect, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Kuan-Teh Jeang

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Smets, F., Sokal, E.M. (2014). Prevention and Treatment for Epstein–Barr Virus Infection and Related Cancers. In: Chang, M., Jeang, KT. (eds) Viruses and Human Cancer. Recent Results in Cancer Research, vol 193. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38965-8_10

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