Infectious pathogens and hematologic malignancy

Infectious pathogens have been linked to the genesis of malignancy in a variety of different settings. Initial studies in virology led to the important discovery of key genetic alterations underlying common malignancies, and further, lent support to the notion that malignancy can be promoted by the process of viral infection and cellular transformation. In this review, we summarize a series of hematologic malignancies with derivations from and associations with infectious organisms. Among these are a variety of lymphomas, including Hodgkin's lymphoma (Hodgkin's disease), Burkitt lymphoma, and a host of other non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Through innovative and ground-breaking studies, some of these malignancies have been directly linked to viral infection, such as the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), while others have been merely associated with infection through epidemiologic studies and case-reports. Some malignancies have been demonstrated to be caused by viral infection, such as adult T-cell leukemia and lymphoma (ATLL), which is caused by the human T cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I), in certain endemic area. In the future, additional malignant states may be found to be associated with infectious etiology, which could allow for novel approaches to prevention and treatment.