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Updated: Jun 7, 2026
13:19
Microarray-based Identification of Individual HERV Loci Expression: Application to Biomarker Discovery in Prostate Cancer
Published on: November 2, 2013
Viruses and human cancer: from detection to causality
1The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel. saridr@mail.biu.ac.il
Cancer Letters
|October 26, 2010
Summary
Tumorigenic viruses are crucial in cancer research. Advances in tumor virology have identified several human cancer viruses, leading to new prevention and treatment strategies for associated cancers.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Cancer research is incomplete without understanding tumorigenic viruses.
- Early searches for human cancer viruses were challenging.
- Significant progress in tumor virology has occurred over the past 40 years.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of human tumor viruses.
- To highlight advancements in identifying and managing virus-associated cancers.
- To discuss future directions in viral oncogenesis research.
Main Methods:
- Review of epidemiological and mechanistic studies.
- Analysis of molecular technologies for virus discovery.
- Synthesis of current knowledge on known human cancer viruses.
Main Results:
- Identified human cancer viruses include Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, high-risk human papilloma viruses, human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1, and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus.
- Development of preventive and therapeutic approaches for some virus-associated cancers.
- Discovery of potential new tumor viruses like Merkel cell polyomavirus, requiring further validation.
Conclusions:
- Continued discovery of human cancer viruses and oncogenesis mechanisms is anticipated.
- Future decades will likely yield improved tools for preventing and treating virus-associated cancers.
- Understanding viral oncogenesis is key to advancing cancer control.
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