Infection, immunity, and cancer

David H. Persing, Franklyn G. Prendergast

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

A significant percentage of human cancers worldwide are associated with infections due to known viruses, including human papillomaviruses (cervical cancer and other skin cancers), human T-lymphotropic viruses (adult T-cell leukemias and lymphomas in endemic areas), hepatitis B virus (liver cancer), and Epstein-Barr virus (Burkitt lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma). The fraction of human cancers attributable to infection may now need to be revised in light of the fact that new viral associations have been discovered and other nonviral associations have been identified. This article addresses the increasingly recognized role of infectious agents as precipitants of human neoplasia and the possibility that novel diagnostic, therapeutic, and chemopreventive strategies may emanate directly from research directed at identifying and understanding these agents.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1015-1022
Number of pages8
JournalArchives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Volume123
Issue number11
StatePublished - 1999

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pathology and Forensic Medicine
  • Medical Laboratory Technology

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