The role of some viruses in the colorectal carcinogenesis

Abstract

Although viruses are not the main cause of cancer, their role in the development of malignant neoplasms in humans is undeniably great and has been repeatedly confirmed by various scientific studies. Modern data indicate that viruses act as etiologic agents in approximately 15% of cases of tumor diseases. The mechanisms of their carcinogenic action are often complex and multistage and are not always easy to identify. The objective of this review is to analyze data on the carcinogenicity of some of them – Epstein – Barr virus (EBV), human papillomavirus (HPV), John Cunningham virus (JCV), as well as co-infection of HPV and viruses of the Herpesviridae family. Despite the diversity of the studies cited, the authors conclude that there is no direct molecular evidence confirming this relationship, and the role of viruses in the development of colorectal cancer is contradictory. Despite this, a common feature of the oncogenesis process in the presence of the described viruses can be considered the ability to cause latent infections and influence pathways controlled by p53-/pRb proteins, which play a proven role in the process of carcinogenesis.