Herpesviruses in Head and Neck Cancers

Abstract

Head and neck cancers arise in the mucosa lining the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx, sinonasal tract, and nasopharynx. The etiology of head and neck cancers is complex and involves many factors, including the presence of oncogenic viruses. These types of cancers are among the most common cancers in the world. Thorough knowledge of the pathogenesis of viral infections is needed to fully understand their impact on cancer development.

The Role of the Oral Microbiota in the Etiopathogenesis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…Although HCMV is not generally considered to be an oncogenic virus, several clinical and experimental studies have suggested that cytomegalovirus may contribute to carcinogenesis [ 111 ].…”

“…HCMV possesses several viral proteins interfering with cellular processes and, thus, can stimulate cell migration, proliferation, and inhibition of apoptosis [ 105 ]. Available evidence suggests that HCMV may be involved in modulating the microenvironment of the head and neck tumors through its action on tumor cells [ 111 ].…”

The Double-Edged Sword Role of Viruses in Gastric Cancer

“…It is widely believed that EBV contributes to the development of many diseases, including Burkitt’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, lymphoproliferative disorder in people with immunodeficiency [ 24 , 36 , 37 ], post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, central nervous system lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, oral hairy leukoplakia [ 38 ] and gastric cancer [ 24 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ].…”

“…It was first discovered in AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma in 1994, which owes its second name: Kaposi sarcoma herpes virus (KSHV) [ 50 ]. KSHV is also involved in the development of primary effusion lymphoma, multicentric Castleman’s disease (MCD) [ 24 , 51 , 52 ] and B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders that can be converted to KSHV-associated non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and also primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) [ 39 , 53 ].…”

“…KSHV cannot transform any cells in culture and does not sustain its own persistence without EBV co-infection [ 39 , 65 ]. In the case of the PEL, the researchers found that KSHV/EBV co-infection occurred in most of the cases [ 66 ].…”