Viruses and Human Cancer

Edited by:
  • J.R. Arrand &
  • D.R. Harper
Bios Scientific Publishers, $35, 200 pp., 1998 ISBN 1-872-74844-9 | ISBN: 1-872-74844-9

Viruses and Human Cancer presents a general overview of all viral infections now known to be linked with human cancers. After a preliminary chapter about the general biological characteristics of viruses and cancer growth, the reader is introduced to the association between primary liver cancer and hepatitis B virus, cancer and human papillomaviruses, Epstein-Barr virus, Kaposi's sarcoma and human herpesvirus-8, as well as human onco-retroviruses. A final chapter on antiviral vaccinations and virus-mediated therapies summarizes clinical applications in this field.

In the introduction, Robin Weiss competently outlines some historical aspects, selectively discusses some epidemiological aspects of tumors associated with viral infections and evaluates the role of immunosurveillance in this form of carcinogenesis. Not surprisingly, these few paragraphs are not enough to present in detail all the mechanisms underlying viral carcinogenesis or all the experimental work done by different groups with a variety of tumour viruses. This nonetheless very informative chapter ends with a positive outlook of the general expectations for the prevention and control of viral infections dangerously associated with tumor development.

Tim Harrison summarizes what is now known of the role of hepatitis B and C viruses in the induction of hepatocellular carcinomas. This is a well-written and informative section, which ends with useful hints for further reading, but the following chapter about the association between human papillomaviruses and cancer is far less rewarding. Although the discussion of the interactions of E6 and E7 with p53 and Rb is extensive and satisfactorily covered, there is a significant lack of information about the natural history of papillomavirus infections, which would help to shed light on the mechanisms of progression of human papillomavirus precursor lesions to cancer. Similarly, the reader is left unaware of the large body of experimental data indicating the importance of human papillomavirus in anogenital and other cancers, as well as of the epidemiological and immunological implications.

John Arrands' contribution on Epstein-Barr virus is interesting to read and covers most of the recent developments in Epstein-Barr virus research. My only criticism here is that the as-yet unknown functions of the BamA RNAs (for example, the BARF0 open reading frame), expressed consistently in latency conditions, might deserve more emphasis, given its expression in almost all tumors carrying Epstein-Barr virus. The most recent discovery of genetic changes underlying the X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome was published too late for inclusion in this book. In this disease, the absence of SAP, a specific inhibitor of B- and T-cell interactions, results in an immunologic inability to control Epstein-Barr virus infections.

The role of human herpesvirus-8 in the etiology of Kaposi's sarcoma is analyzed here by Denise Whitby and colleagues. This chapter represents a good summary of the recent findings and also addresses some clinical aspects of Kaposi's sarcoma. In contrast to some of the other sections, it also contains an excellent compilation of references. Unfortunately, in the overview of human onco-retroviruses by Graham Taylor and Myra McClure, the historical analysis refers mainly to Gallo's contributions to human retrovirology, and I feel that a somewhat less-biased analysis of the critical findings reported in the 1970s would have contributed to a more balanced view of the historical developments in this field. However, the characteristics and consequences of HTLV-1 infections are presented with a clear and in-depth analysis. I wish that this section had served as an example for Chapter 3.

The final part of the book is devoted to antiviral vaccinations and virus-mediated therapies. After a long discussion about vaccines against hepatitis virus, the recent developments in the design of new vaccines to human papilloma virus infections are mentioned only relatively briefly. For example, the most exciting animal model for preventive papillomavirus vaccination, the canine oral papillomavirus, described by Suzich and colleagues, is not mentioned. Because papillomaviruses produce most of the virus-linked cancers known today, the preventive and therapeutic potential of the respective vaccines could significantly influence the global cancer rate. Overall, however, this chapter is very useful, as it describes ongoing efforts for vaccine development against all human oncoviruses now known, and provides, at the same time, a brief overview of the more experimental attempts at virus-mediated cancer therapy.

It would have been interesting to also find in this book chapters on potential human tumor viruses, like BK, JC and SV40-like polyoma viruses (all potent inducers of tumors after inoculation in newborn rodents), and other human tumors suspected to have a viral etiology, such as leukemias and lymphomas. Given that tumor virology had its roots in studies of animal systems, a brief introduction of the in vivo experimental models established so far would have been helpful in dissecting the mechanisms underlying host cell transformation by oncoviruses. Despite of the shortcomings mentioned, I find this book a useful and interesting introduction to virus-associated human tumors for undergraduates and postgraduates in biomedical disciplines.