An oncovirus or oncogenic virus is a virus that can cause cancer. [4] This term originated from studies of acutely transforming retroviruses in the 1950–60s, [5] when the term oncornaviruses was used to denote their RNA virus origin. [6]

Mar 4, 2025 · There are several oncoviruses, or viruses that cause cancer. Epstein-Barr virus is a herpes virus that’s spread through saliva. EBV infection increases the risk of Burkitt lymphoma, some types of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and stomach cancer. There is currently no vaccine for Epstein-Barr virus.

Currently, there are seven recognized human oncoviruses, which include Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV), Human T-cell lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1), Human Herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8), and Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCPyV). Available and emerging therapies for these oncoviruses will be mentioned.

The widely accepted human oncoviruses are human papillomaviruses (HPV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) (also called human herpesvirus 8), human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1), and Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV).

Viruses are very small organisms. Most can’t even be seen with an ordinary microscope. They are made up of a small number of genes in the form of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coating. A virus must enter a living cell and take over the cell’s …

Approximately twelve percent of all human cancers are caused by oncoviruses. Human viral oncogenesis is complex and only a small percentage of the infected individuals develop cancer and often many years to decades after initial infection.

Oncogenic viruses affect pathways that become dysregulated in human cancers. Viral proteins commonly interfere with the cell cycle, target pRB and p53, prevent apoptosis, and interfere with the immune response.