The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a common virus that infects most people. In fact, >90% of adults around the world have the EBV. The EBV stays in people's bodies for their lives, mostly in certain blood cells and skin cells.
Primary infection with the EBV is usually asymptomatic; people usually do not experience any symptoms. They may develop a disease called infectious mononucleosis. EBV is important to consider because it has been linked to several types of cancer. The EBV has been linked to carcinoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Burkitt's lymphoma.
Increasing evidence indicates that EBV is also associated with selected head and neck cancers. The virus contributes to disease development through its oncogenic potential and its involvement in multiple pathological conditions.
The EBV is linked to cancer in the head and neck area. This happens because of the virus's genes, like EBNA1 and LMP1, which are made by the EBV. These genes from EBV help the cancer cells grow and survive. They do this by making the cells’ genetic material unstable, by hiding from the immune system, and by making the cells grow and die in an abnormal way. EBV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has been found in types of cancer such as nasopharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, and oral squamous cell carcinomas. Sometimes, when the EBV and the human papillomavirus are both present, the cancer can become more serious. Studies have shown that the EBV is found more often in people with laryngeal carcinoma than in people without the EBV.
Scientists have found that some cancers of the head and neck have problems with their chromosomes. These problems occur in people who have the EBV. EBV is linked to cancers that have issues with chromosome 11. This means that EBV might be causing the chromosomes to become unstable. This is what genomic studies have shown about EBV-associated head and neck cancers.
This review is about the EBV virus and how it affects people who have head and neck cancer. It looks at how EBV spreads and what happens inside the body when someone has it. The review also discusses the importance of EBV in head and neck cancer and how markers can be used to diagnose it. Additionally, it discusses ways to treat EBV, such as using EBV-targeted immunotherapy and developing vaccines to fight the EBV virus.
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