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      Epstein-Barr virus infection and nasopharyngeal carcinoma: the other side of the coin.

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          Abstract

          Oncogenic viruses may have a significant impact on the therapeutic management of several malignancies besides their well-known role in tumor pathogenesis. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) induces neoplastic transformation of epithelial cells of the nasopharynx by various molecular mechanisms mostly involving activation of oncogenes and inactivation of tumor-suppressor genes. EBV infection can also induce the expression of several immunogenic peptides on the plasma membrane of the infected cells. Importantly, these virus-related antigens may be used as targets for antitumor immunotherapy-based treatment strategies. Two different immunotherapy strategies, namely adoptive and active immunotherapy, have been developed and strongly improved in the recent years. Furthermore, EBV infection may influence the use of targeted therapies for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) considering that the presence of EBV can induce important modifications in cell signaling. As an example, latent membrane protein type 1 is a viral transmembrane protein mainly involved in the cancerogenesis process, which can also mediate overexpression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in NPC cells, rendering them more sensitive to anti-EGFR therapy. Finally, EBV may induce epigenetic changes in the infected cells, such as DNA hypermethylation and histone deacetylation, that can sustain tumor growth and can thus be considered potential targets for novel therapies. In conclusion, EBV infection can modify important biological features of NPC cells, rendering them more vulnerable to both immunotherapy and targeted therapy.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          Anticancer Drugs
          Anti-cancer drugs
          Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
          1473-5741
          0959-4973
          Nov 2015
          : 26
          : 10
          Affiliations
          [1 ] aMedical Oncology Unit, POC SS Annunziata, Taranto bDepartment of Advanced Biomedical Sciences cDepartment of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples 'Federico II', Napoli, Italy dLester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
          Article
          10.1097/CAD.0000000000000276
          26241803
          82e7323d-1483-44f0-99f1-0e69a3fc09c9
          History

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