Childhood cancers: what is a possible role of infectious agents?

Kenneth Alibek, Assel Mussabekova, Ainur Kakpenova, Assem Duisembekova, Yeldar Baiken, Bauyrzhan Aituov, Nargis Karatayeva, Samal Zhussupbekova

2013

Full text Open access: Gold Metadata (CSL-JSON)

DOI 10.1186/1750-9378-8-48

Data confidence 70 medium

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Abstract

The etiology of childhood cancers has been studied for more than 40 years. However, most if not all cancers occurring in children are attributed to unknown causes. This review is focused on the role of infections in cancer development and progression in children. The main infectious agents include human herpesviruses, polyoma viruses, and human papilloma viruses. It is known that infections can lead to carcinogenesis through various mechanisms, and most likely act in addition to genetic and environmental factors. Given the importance of the infectious etiology of childhood cancers, clinical implications and possible prevention strategies are discussed.