Epstein-Barr virus infection in the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The association of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) with the Epstein-Barr vir us (EBV) was firmly established as early as 1973. Nevertheless. the role fo r the virus in the pathogenesis of NPC is still controversial. In this arti cle, the evidence implicating EBV in the development of NPC is reviewed, fo cusing on the cellular site of EBV persistence, the association of the viru s with different NPC histotypes, the tumour cell phenotype in the context o f viral latent gene expression, and the possible role of the lymphoid strom a.