Influence of Epstein–Barr virus infection in nasal NK/T cell lymphoma

Abstract

Extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type (nasal NK/T cell lymphoma) is a rare malignant disease, which mainly involves the head and neck. In the late 20^th century, monoclonal expression of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) was detected in a clinical specimen. Subsequently, accumulating evidence has suggested that EBV and its related protein play an etiological role in the aggressive proliferation of this lymphoma. The viral load of EBV in serum has been used as a prognostic marker in clinical practice. EBV-derived micro-RNA is also a reliable marker for the progression of lymphoma. This lymphoma produces several cytokines and chemokines to proliferate under the EBV-LMP1-mediated pathway. In addition to its pathological role, EBV is an ideal target for immunotherapy. We have previously described that EBV-LMP1 contains an epitope that could activate antitumor CD4 helper T cells. Here, I briefly summarize the current knowledge regarding the etiological role of EBV in nasal NK/T cell lymphoma, the immune microenvironment surrounding this lymphoma, and the novel treatment strategy of targeting EBV with antitumor immune cells.