In:
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, The Royal Society, Vol. 374, No. 1773 ( 2019-05-27), p. 20180304-
Abstract:
Most known oncogenic viruses of humans use DNA as their genomic material. Research over the past quarter century has revealed that their oncogenicity results largely from direct interference with barriers to oncogenesis. In contrast to viruses that have been accepted causes of particular cancers, candidate viral causes tend to have fewer viral than cellular genomes in the tumours. These low viral loads have caused researchers to conclude that the associated viruses are not primary causes of the associated cancers. Consideration of differential survival, reproduction and infiltration of cells in a tumour suggest, however, that viral loads could be low even when viruses are primary causes of cancer. Resolution of this issue has important implications for human health because medical research tends to be effective at preventing and controlling infectious diseases. Mathematical models may clarify the problem and help guide future research by assessing whether low viral loads are likely outcomes of the differential survival, reproduction, and infiltration of cells in a tumour and, more generally, the extent to which viruses contribute to cancer. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Silent cancer agents: multi-disciplinary modelling of human DNA oncoviruses’.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0962-8436
,
1471-2970
DOI:
10.1098/rstb.2018.0304
Language:
English
Publisher:
The Royal Society
Publication Date:
2019
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1462620-2
SSG:
12
