The Role of DNA Viruses in Human Cancer

Our plain-English summary of The Role of DNA Viruses in Human Cancer, by Z.A. Ghoreshi, H.R. Molaei, N. Arefinia (Cancer Informatics, 2023).

The study

• Authors: Z.A. Ghoreshi, H.R. Molaei, N. Arefinia
• Journal: Cancer Informatics
• Published: 2023;22:11769351231154186
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 13 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

This review discusses the possible involvement of infections-associated cancers in humans, with virus infections contributing 15% to 20% of total cancer cases in humans. DNA virus encoded proteins interact with host cellular signaling pathways and control proliferation, cell death and genomic integrity viral oncoproteins are known to bind cellular Deubiquitinates (DUBs) such as cyclindromatosis tumor suppressor, ubiquitin-specific proteases 7, 11, 15 and 20, and A-20 to improve their intracellular stability and cellular signaling pathways and finally transformation. Human papillomaviruses (cervical carcinoma, oral cancer and laryngeal cancer); human polyomaviruses (mesotheliomas, brain tumors); Epstein-Barr virus (B-cell lymphoproliferative diseases and nasopharyngeal carcinoma); Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpesvirus (Kaposi's Sarcoma and primary effusion lymphomas); hepatitis B (hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)) cause up to 20% of malignancies around the world.

© The Author(s) 2023.

In plain English

This article was a review of published research on DNA viruses and human cancer. It did not study any patients, workers or animals of its own, and it did not mention asbestos. It went through human papillomavirus, hepatitis B virus, Epstein-Barr virus, the polyomaviruses (including SV40, JCV, BKV and Merkel cell polyomavirus), adenoviruses, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, herpes simplex virus, human cytomegalovirus and torque teno virus, describing how viral proteins interfere with cell growth controls. Citing earlier work, it stated that viruses are associated with 15% to 20% of cancers. On mesothelioma, the article said that SV40 has been shown to be closely associated with mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer of mesothelial cells. Later in the same passage, however, it stated that no human neoplasms have been related to SV40 infection, though SV40 can induce tumors in animal models. The authors concluded that the best-established human DNA cancer viruses are HPV, EBV, KSHV and HBV. SV40 and the other polyomaviruses were not on that list.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: narrative review of published literature (no search methods described)
• Who was studied: No study population; the review covered published research on DNA virus families linked to human cancers
• Exposure: Infection with DNA viruses: human papillomaviruses, hepatitis B virus, Epstein-Barr virus, polyomaviruses (SV40, JCV, BKV, Merkel cell polyomavirus), adenoviruses, KSHV/HHV-8, herpes simplex virus, human cytomegalovirus, torque teno virus. Asbestos was not discussed.
• Main results:
  • Citing earlier literature, the review stated that viral infection is associated with 15% to 20% of cancers
  • The review stated that SV40 has been shown to be closely associated with mesothelioma, as well as with several other tumor types
  • In the same passage, the review stated that no human neoplasms have been related to SV40 infection, although SV40 can induce tumors in animal models
  • Citing earlier work on 85 tumors of glial origin, 57% to 83% of glial tumors were positive for JCV DNA and viral T-antigen, depending on tumor type
  • The review stated that approximately 80% of Merkel cell carcinoma patients carry integrated Merkel cell polyomavirus genome
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the best-established human DNA cancer viruses are HPV (cervical cancer), EBV (B-cell lymphoproliferative diseases), KSHV (Kaposi's sarcoma and primary effusion lymphoma) and HBV (hepatocellular carcinoma). They also stated that HIV treatment has decreased Kaposi's sarcoma risk and that HBV vaccination is effective in preventing liver cancer.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Carcinoma, Laryngeal Cancer, Mesothelioma, Sarcoma.

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