Home      Login

Abstract: 

Nearly 20% of cancers worldwide are caused by a virus. These viruses don’t cause cancer until long after they initially infect a person. Rather, the viruses teach the cells they take over how to escape the natural biological process of cell death. This strategy sets these altered cells on a path for other genetic changes that can cause full-blown cancer years down the road. In this article, a microbiologist and researcher of viruses explains how viruses affect living cells and the health of the people who are infected. These particular viruses are unique and interesting, both for their effects on patients and because of the potential ways they might be treated or prevented.

Keywords: Oncogenic Viruses

Affiliations:  1: University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.