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Updated: Oct 4, 2025

Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo
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Oncogenic Viruses as Entropic Drivers of Cancer Evolution

Italo Tempera1, Paul M Lieberman1

  • 1Program in Gene Expression and Regulation, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States.

Frontiers in Virology (Lausanne, Switzerland)
|February 10, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Viral infections contribute to 17% of human cancers. This study proposes viruses act as a biological "entropy" source, accelerating cancer cell evolution and suggesting new therapeutic strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Virology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • Viral infections are linked to approximately 17% of human cancers.
  • The precise mechanisms by which viruses drive oncogenesis are complex and not fully understood.
  • Traditional models focus on viral oncogenes, but other factors like host genetics and immune status also play roles.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of evolutionary forces and systems biology in understanding viral oncogenesis.
  • To propose a novel framework viewing viral infection as a source of biological "entropy" that promotes cancer evolution.
  • To identify potential new therapeutic strategies by integrating concepts from cancer evolution and virology.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and conceptual synthesis integrating evolutionary theory, systems biology, and cancer research.
  • Analysis of oncogenic mechanisms, including viral mutation, integration, host susceptibility, and immune interactions.
  • Application of principles from population genetics and thermodynamics to cancer cell evolution.

Main Results:

  • Viral infections can increase genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity, accelerating cancer cell evolution.
  • Viruses influence tumor microenvironment and immune signaling, altering cancer cell selection criteria.
  • A systems biology approach reveals viruses as key drivers of cancer evolution through increased biological entropy.

Conclusions:

  • Viewing viral oncogenesis through the lens of evolutionary theory and systems biology offers new insights.
  • Viral infections can be conceptualized as a source of biological entropy, promoting cancer development.
  • Integrating diverse biological concepts may lead to novel therapeutic strategies for virus-associated cancers.
Keywords:
EBV–Epstein-Barr virusHPV–human papillomavirusKSHVMerkel cancercancerepigenetichepatitis B virusplasticity

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