Advances in Tumor Virology

Since being discovered in 1964, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has become a growing concern. Clinically, EBV is responsible for many diseases, most notably infectious mononucleosis. In addition to mononucleosis, EBV causes several cancers such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Burkitt’s lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) is an anti-cancer drug that inhibits growth and proliferation of various EBV-related cancers. SAHA acts as a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. The responsiveness of SAHA treatment stems from the induction of EBV’s lytic cycle.