Viruses cancer - an overview

Viruses were initially seen as unusual agents that caused cancer in animals but were o f no relevance to humans. They are now accepted as bonafide aetiologic factors o f human cancers. Carcinogenesis is a multistep process and in virally associated human cancers, the viruses appear to be necessary but are not sufficient for tumour development. Viruses possess genes with potential to modulate host responses and through this means, they evade detection and recognition by the immune system. The mechanism o f transformation o f a normal cell into a neoplastic cell can either be direct or indirect. Better understanding o f the role o f viruses in human cancer will have therapeutic implication as control can be instituted. African Journal of Clinical and Experimental Microbiology Vol. 7(2) 2006: 125-131