Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) contributes to about 1.5% of all cases of human cancer worldwide, and viral genes are expressed in the malignant cells. EBV also very efficiently causes the proliferation of infected human B lymphocytes. The functions of the viral proteins and small RNAs that may contribute to EBV-associated cancers are becoming increasingly clear, and a broader understanding of the sequence variation of the virus genome has helped to interpret their roles. The improved understanding of the mechanisms of these cancers means that there are great opportunities for the early diagnosis of treatable stages of EBV-associated cancers and the use of immunotherapy to target EBV-infected cells or overcome immune evasion. There is also scope for preventing disease by immunization and for developing therapeutic agents that target the EBV gene products expressed in the cancers.

中文翻译：

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爱泼斯坦巴尔病毒和癌症。

爱泼斯坦-巴尔病毒（EBV）占全世界所有人类癌症病例的约1.5％，病毒基因在恶性细胞中表达。EBV还非常有效地引起受感染的人类B淋巴细胞的增殖。可能导致与EBV相关的癌症的病毒蛋白和小RNA的功能变得越来越清晰，对病毒基因组序列变异的更广泛理解有助于解释它们的作用。对这些癌症机制的进一步了解意味着有很大机会早期诊断可治疗的EBV相关癌症，以及使用免疫疗法靶向EBV感染的细胞或克服免疫逃逸。