Abstract
The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) and human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1) are lymphomagenic viruses with region-specific induced morbidity. The RIAL-CYTED aims to increase the knowledge of lymphoma in Latin America (LA), and, as such, we systematically analyzed the literature to better understand our risk for virus-induced lymphoma. We observed that high endemicity regions for certain lymphomas, e.g., Mexico and Peru, have a high incidence of EBV-positive lymphomas of T/NK cell origin. Peru also carries the highest frequency of EBV-positive classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and EBV-positive diffuse large B cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (NOS), than any other LA country. Adult T cell lymphoma is endemic to the North of Brazil and Chile. While only few cases of KSHV-positive lymphomas were found, in spite of the close correlation of Kaposi sarcoma and the prevalence of pathogenic types of KSHV. Both EBV-associated HL and Burkitt lymphoma mainly affect young children, unlike in developed countries, in which adolescents and young adults are the most affected, correlating with an early EBV seroconversion for LA population despite of lack of infectious mononucleosis symptoms. High endemicity of KSHV and HTLV infection was observed among Amerindian populations, with differences between Amazonian and Andean populations.
Highlights
Neoplasms of an infectious etiology account for about 16% of all cancers, which amounts to about two million cases per year, considering virus, bacteria- and parasite-derived cancers
When assessing the viral prevalence, we found that the majority of studies are based on immunological methods that do not discriminate between human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and HTLV-2
Among non-endemic populations, the high prevalence among men that have sex with men (MSM) and female sex worker (FSW) supports sexual transmission as an important route for Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) dissemination (Table 5). The latter is not as clear for HTLV infection, since those studies based on people attending STD clinics (0.6–2.8%), FSW and MSM (2% and below) reported lower frequencies than those observed for KSHV
Summary
Neoplasms of an infectious etiology account for about 16% of all cancers, which amounts to about two million cases per year, considering virus-, bacteria- and parasite-derived cancers This number is significantly higher for developing countries, in which it can be as high as 30%, while in highly industrialized countries, such as the US, it can be as low as 5% [1]. The bases for this difference are not clear, but it may be due to the prevalence of the oncogenic infectious agents, or to additional co-factors causally linked to the infectious neoplasms. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is causally associated with several neoplasms, it is as an indirect oncogenic agent, due to the immunosuppression it imposes upon the infected host
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