[Researchers] cultured and isolated the … virus from tissue of a child patient with Burkitt’s lymphoma — cancer of the lymph nodes.… [The] work reinforces the growing body of evidence that human cancers are linked with, or caused by, a virus or viruses.… And it once again raises the possibility of a cancer vaccine.
Epstein-Barr virus, or EBV, infects about 90 percent of people and can cause Burkitt’s lymphoma and other cancers in a small fraction of those infected. Developing a vaccine has been a challenge partly because EBV can hide in the body for decades before causing problems. Several vaccine candidates are being tested in people, including one nanoparticle-based vaccine that may trigger a potent immune response.
Epstein-Barr virus, or EBV, infects about 90 percent of people and can cause Burkitt’s lymphoma and other cancers in a small fraction of those infected. Developing a vaccine has been a challenge partly because EBV can hide in the body for decades before causing problems. Several vaccine candidates are being tested in people, including one nanoparticle-based vaccine that may trigger a potent immune response.
