Epstein-Barr Virus
(EBV)
What is EBV?
EBV is also known as the human herpesvirus 4, which is a common human virus. EBV spreads easily through bodily fluids and primarily saliva. As a result, most people get infected with EBV at some points in their lives.
People infected with EBV usually show no symptoms or have symptoms which are not distinguishable from other mild illnesses.
Pathogenic roles
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is etiologically linked to distinct types of epithelial cancer such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC); and a remarkably wide range of lymphoid malignancies such as Hodgkin disease, Burkitt lymphoma, and diffuse large B cell lymphoma. About 270,000 cancer cases globally per year are attributable to EBV infection. Moreover, a study in 2022 also found that the risk of multiple sclerosis increased by 32-folds following infection with EBV. These studies implied that EBV infection has a pathogenic role in contributing to cancer and other chronic diseases.
Potential as treatment target
Genomic sequencing studies have revealed only a few druggable oncogenic mutations in EBV-associated malignancies, suggesting mutation-targeted therapies are not applicable to the patients. However, as persistent EBV latent infection contributes to the pathogenesis of these types of malignancies, targeting EBV-related antigens or EBV-lytic mechanisms can be an effective approach to treat these types of cancer.