OnCo
termsTerm

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in cancer

aka EBV, Epstein-Barr, Epstein–Barr virus, EBV-positive, EBV-associated, EBV-driven, EBV DNA, EBER

The common glandular-fever virus, carried lifelong by most adults, which in a minority of people drives nasopharyngeal cancer, some stomach cancers and several lymphomas.

EBV infects B cells and epithelium; it causes nearly all nasopharyngeal carcinoma (endemic in southern China), about 9% of gastric cancers (a TCGA subtype with high PD-L1 and immunotherapy sensitivity), Burkitt lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma in part, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease and NK/T-cell lymphoma. Plasma EBV DNA screens for and monitors nasopharyngeal cancer; EBV-specific T cells (tabelecleucel) treat post-transplant lymphoma; EBV vaccines are in early trials. EBER in situ hybridisation is the tissue test.

Category
Pathology & biomarkers

Connected

9top