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Epidemiology of Virus Infection and Human Cancer

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Viruses and Human Cancer

Part of the book series: Recent Results in Cancer Research ((RECENTCANCER,volume 193))

Abstract

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has comprehensively assessed the human carcinogenicity of biological agents. Seven viruses including Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), Kaposi’s sarcoma herpes virus (KSHV), human immunodeficiency virus, type-1 (HIV-1), human T cell lymphotrophic virus, type-1 (HTLV-1), and human papillomavirus (HPV) have been classified as Group 1 human carcinogens by IARC. The conclusions are based on the findings of epidemiological and mechanistic studies. EBV, HPV, HTLV-1, and KSHV are direct carcinogens; HBV and HCV are indirect carcinogens through chronic inflammation; HIV-1 is an indirect carcinogen through immune suppression. Some viruses may cause more than one cancer, while some cancers may be caused by more than one virus. However, only a proportion of persons infected by these oncogenic viruses will develop specific cancers. A series of studies have been carried out to assess the viral, host, and environmental cofactors of EBV-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma, HBV/HCV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma, and HPV-associated cervical carcinoma. Persistent infection and high viral load are important risk predictors of these virus-caused cancers. Risk calculators incorporating host and viral factors have also been developed for the prediction of long-term risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. These risk calculators are useful for the triage and clinical management of infected patients. Both clinical trials and national programs of immunization or antiviral therapy have demonstrated a significant reduction in the incidence of cancers caused by HBV, HCV, and HPV. Future researches on gene–gene and gene–environment interaction of oncogenic viruses and human host are in urgent need.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    CDC http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2012/chapter-3-infectious-diseases-related-to-travel/hepatitis-b.htm

  2. 2.

    UNAIDS http://data.unaids.org/pub/epislides/2012/2012_epiupdate_en.pdf

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Section 2, Taipei 115, Taiwan

    Chien-Jen Chen, Wan-Lun Hsu, Hui-Chi Chen & San-Lin You

  2. Graduate Institute of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Chien-Jen Chen

  3. Molecular and Genomic Epidemiology Center, China Medical University Hospital and Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Hwai-I Yang & Yin-Chu Chien

  4. Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Mei-Hsuan Lee

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  1. Chien-Jen Chen
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  2. Wan-Lun Hsu
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  3. Hwai-I Yang
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  4. Mei-Hsuan Lee
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  5. Hui-Chi Chen
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  6. Yin-Chu Chien
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  7. San-Lin You
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Correspondence to Chien-Jen Chen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Mei Hwei Chang

  2. Molecular Virology Section, Lab. of Mole, National Institute of Allergy and Infect, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Kuan-Teh Jeang

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Chen, CJ. et al. (2014). Epidemiology of Virus Infection and Human Cancer. In: Chang, M., Jeang, KT. (eds) Viruses and Human Cancer. Recent Results in Cancer Research, vol 193. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38965-8_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38965-8_2

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