Abstract
Epstein Barr virus (EBV) can affect 90% of the human population. It can invade B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes and natural killer cells of the host and remain in the host for life. The long latency and reactivation of EBV can cause malignant transformation, leading to various lymphoproliferative diseases (LPDs), including EBV-related B-cell lymphoproliferative diseases (EBV-B-LPDs) (for example, Burkitt lymphoma (BL), classic Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cHL), and posttransplantation and HIV-related lymphoproliferative diseases) and EBV-related T-cell lymphoproliferative diseases (EBV-T/NK-LPDs) (for example, extranodal nasal type natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL), aggressive NK cell leukaemia (ANKL), and peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS). EBV-LPDs are heterogeneous with different clinical features and prognoses. The treatment of EBV-LPDs is usually similar to that of EBV-negative lymphoma with the same histology and can include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). However, problems such as serious toxicity and drug resistance worsen the survival prognosis of patients. EBV expresses a variety of viral and lytic proteins that regulate cell cycle and death processes and promote the survival of tumour cells. Based on these characteristics, a series of treatment strategies for EBV in related malignant tumours have been developed, such as monoclonal antibodies, immune checkpoint inhibitors, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and epigenetic therapy. These new individualized therapies can produce highly specific killing effects on tumour cells, and nontumour cells can be protected from toxicity. This paper will focus on the latest progress in the treatment of EBV-LPDs based on pathological mechanisms.
Background
Epstein Barr virus (EBV) is classified as a gamma-1 herpesvirus, and people are generally susceptible to this virus. Patients with EBV infection are usually asymptomatic, and the development of symptomatic disease is associated with delayed primary infection, leading to infectious mononucleosis in young people. In addition, EBV infection is associated with various EBV-related malignancies, such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), gastric cancer subtypes, and several lymphoproliferative diseases (LPDs), especially B-cell and T-cell lymphomas (, ). It causes about 200000 new cancer cases worldwide every year. In cancer cells, EBV usually remains latent to escape human immune surveillance but can switch from a latent to a lytic cycle to infect new cells in response to physiological stimuli (, ). There are three groups of viral proteins expressed by EBV during a latent infection: (1) the Epstein Barr virus nuclear antigen (EBNA) family, which includes EBNA1–EBNA4, within which EBNA3 encompasses EBNA3a, EBNA3b and EBNA3c; (2) the late membrane protein (LMP) group, which includes LMP1 and LMP2; and (3) EBV-encoded RNA (EBER). These viral proteins follow four latent expression patterns, and different host cells express different viral proteins () (Figure 1). In cells infected with latent EBV, the immediate early (IE) proteins BZLF1 (Zta) and BRLF1 (Rta) are key for mediating transformation, but the two promoters that control Zta and Rta gene transcription are inactive (). Upon induction by stimulants that activate B cells, such as calcium ionophores, phorbol esters and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, these promoters are activated, resulting in the expression of immediate early lytic proteins, followed by the production of early lytic proteins (BMRF1, BALF1, BHRF1, BSLF1, etc.) and the initiation of viral DNA replication (, ). At the same time, early lytic proteins and DNA replication trigger the expression of late lytic proteins (VCA-p18, gp350/220, MCP, gH/gL, etc.), which eventually leads to the production of infectious virus particles such as BLLF1 and BFRF3 (, ). More than 70 viral proteins can be produced in the entire process () (Figure 2).
Figure 1
Figure 2

EBV lytic cycle reactivation. After a variety of stimulants activate the EBV Z/R promoters (Zp and Rp), the two immediate early proteins reciprocally activate expression and drive the EBV lytic cycle. In this process, a series of lytic proteins are produced to regulate gene expression and induce DNA replication. Finally, the virus particles are packaged by structural proteins and released through exocytosis.
There is increasing evidence that virus latent and lytic proteins can maintain the proliferation and survival of EBV-positive cancer cells by influencing cellular mechanisms regulating the cell cycle, apoptosis and immune recognition of host cells. Research to identify therapeutics for EBV has produced many surprising results. The specific killing effect not only improves the curative effect but also greatly reduces toxicity and side effects. Therefore, in addition to chemotherapy, regulatory immunosuppressive therapy and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT), different EBV-based treatment strategies, such as immunotherapy, gene therapy and epigenetic therapy, are research hotspots. This paper will summarize EBV-LPD treatment methods and discuss research advances regarding these new schemes.
EBV-Associated B-cell Lymphoproliferative Disorders
Chemotherapy
EBV was initially detected by Epstein MA et al. in isolated and cultured cells from a BL child in Uganda (
Table 1
| Therapy | Patients characteristics | Efficacy | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemotherapy | CODOX-M/IVAC+/-R | BL | 2-year EFS: 65%, 2-year OS: 73%; 3-year PFS: 74%, 3-year OS: 77% | ( | |
| GALGB+/-R | BL | 3-year EFS: 74%, 2-year OS: 78%; 3-year EFS、OS: 45-54% | ( | ||
| HyperCVAD +/-R | BL | 3-year EFS: 80%, 3-year OS: 89% | ( | ||
| (DA)R-EPOCH | BL | EFS: 95%, OS: 100% | ( | ||
| Immunotherapy | Monoclonal antibody | R-CHOP | PTLD/DLBCL | First-line treatment | – |
| Rituximab | PTLD | It is related to the elimination of PTLD related mortality | ( | ||
| BV | PTLD/DLBCL | The patient had no disease progression 3.5 years after PTLD. | ( | ||
| Daradaratumumab | PTLD | A rapid decrease in EBV viral load was observed | ( | ||
| Checkpoint inhibitors | Nivolumab | HL | ORR: 66% | ( | |
| HL | ORR: 89%, CR:59% | ( | |||
| Pembrolizumab | HL | ORR: 69%, CR: 22.4% | ( | ||
| Sintilimab | HL | ORR: 80% | ( | ||
| Tislelizumab | HL | CR: 62.9%, ORR: 87.1% | ( | ||
| Camrelizumab | HL | CR: 28%, ORR:76% | ( | ||
| Nivolumab + BV | HL | CR: 67%, ORR:85% | ( | ||
| HL | OS: 98% | ( | |||
| HL | It is effective and well tolerated in the elderly | ( | |||
| Nivolumab | PTLD | The child received CR | ( | ||
| Nivolumab | The woman received CR | ( | |||
| CTL | EBV-CTL | PTLD | CR: 84.6% | ( | |
| EBV-CTL line bank | PTLD | The 6 months effective rate was 52% | ( | ||
| CMD-003 | R/R lymphoma and PTLD | It has been granted fast track by FDA | ( | ||
| EBV-CTL and LMP-2-CTL | cHL | The patients were well tolerated and sustained clinical responses were observed. | ( | ||
Summary of available therapies in EBV-B-LPD.
Immunotherapy
Monoclonal antibodies
EBV is detected in 25–50% of Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) cases in the United States and Europe (
In 2003, EBV+ diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) was first described as a unique entity in elderly patients, and in situ hybridization showed that this disease was related to EBV (
Reactivation of EBV after bone marrow transplantation usually leads to a LPD that does not respond well to standard treatment and is usually fatal. As early as 1969, the incidence rate of LPDs in solid organ and bone marrow transplant recipients was very high, between 0.5% and 17% (
Checkpoint Inhibitors
Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is an immunomodulatory molecule expressed by antigen-presenting cells that selectively binds to the PD-1 receptor on T cells to inhibit T cell immune function. Both RS cells of cHL and malignant B cells of PTLD express PD-L1, and this expression is promoted by EBV. Therefore, these diseases share this immune escape mechanism (
Figure 3

Summary of the immunotherapeutic mechanism of EBV infected tumor cells. EBV infected tumor cells express PD-L1, and binding with PD-1-expressing T cells in microenvironment can inhibit immune killing function; EBV drives the overexpression of latent membrane protein LMP and the activates NF- κB/MAPK and JAK/STAT signaling pathways lead to high expression of PD-L1. Therefore, after the infusion of polyclonal EBV specific CTLs, the increased frequency of EBV and LMP specific T cells and the application of PD-1/PD-1/L1 drugs can reduce immunosuppression and kill tumour cells.
CTLs
Immunotherapy strategies to restore virus-specific immunity are an attractive alternative to antiviral therapy. EBV-specific CTLs of human leukocyte antigens (HLA)-matched donors or autologous lymphocytes can be activated and expanded in vitro and then injected into the recipient, where they can restore cellular immunity after EBV infection and eradicate EBV-infected cells. The most common adverse reaction is graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Compared with adoptive therapy with monoclonal antibodies, CTLs can actively migrate through the microvascular wall to reach isolated tumour cells and undergo self-expansion. CTLs can kill tumour cells through cytotoxic effectors and have advantages in biological distribution and antitumour activity (
RS cells in EBV-positive cHL can downregulate immune-dominant EBV nuclear antigens such as EBNA3A, EBNA3B and EBNA3C so that most CTLs against potential antigens lose their effect. However, the latent proteins LMP-1 and LMP-2 expressed by tumour cells in approximately 40% of patients with Hodgkin’s or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma then become the immunotherapeutic targets of CTLs (
Gene Therapy
The transcription factor EBNA2, a latent viral gene expressed by malignant cells latently infected with EBV, is a transactivator of virus and gene expression (
EBV-Associated T- and NK-Cell Lymphoproliferative Disorders
Chemotherapy
Epstein Barr virus (EBV) can cause B-cell lymphoma and is also found in some T or NK cell lymphoid tumours, such as extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL), invasive NK cell leukaemia (ANKL) and chronic active Epstein Barr virus infection (CAEBV). The WHO classification of haematopoietic and lymphoid tumours was revised in 2017 (WHO 2017), and CAEBV is defined as an T cell or NK cell tumour (
The prototype of EBV-driven lymphoma is extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma of the nasal type. Due to the high expression level of P-glycoprotein in NK lymphoma cells, chemotherapy, such as CHOP- and doxorubicin-based regimens, is largely ineffective. However, the lack of asparagine synthase makes ENKTCL sensitive to L-asparaginase. DDGP (cisplatin, dexamethasone, gemcitabine and pegaspargase) was recommended as the first-line chemotherapy for NK/T-cell lymphoma in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines in 2020. Other schemes based on L-asparaginase, such as SMILE (dexamethasone, methotrexate, ifosfamide, asparaginase, and etoposide), also showed good efficacy; however, this regimen is highly toxic and can even lead to death (
EBV+ PTCL-NOS is a highly heterogeneous mature post-thymic T cell tumour. CHOP is the most commonly used first-line treatment for systemic PTCL, but this disease is usually incurable. When EBV-related LPD is pathological grade 3 and the patient has severe systemic symptoms, chemotherapy can be considered to control the disease condition but cannot improve patient prognosis (
Allo-HSCT
Numerous studies at home and abroad have proven that allo-HSCT can cure EBV-T/NK-LPD. In 2000, K Kawa et al. first reported the cure of a patient with CAEBV by allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, which also eradicated EBV-infected peripheral T cells and natural killer cells (102). A series of studies have proven an obvious survival benefit for patients treated with HSCT (103, 104). However, the prognosis of patients with active disease at allo-HSCT is worse than that of patients without active disease (105). Arai et al. found that 4 of the 5 patients with active disease at the time of HSCT experienced transplantation failure or recipient cell recovery. These findings suggest the importance of disease control before HSCT. Recently, Ichiro Yonese et al. evaluated 100 patients with newly diagnosed EBV-T/NK-LPD in Japan from January 2003 to March 2016 and found that the 3-year overall survival rates of chemotherapy alone, allo-HSCT after chemotherapy and allo-HSCT alone were 0%, 65% and 82%, respectively (
Immunotherapy
Monoclonal Antibodies
To date, several monoclonal antibodies against human CD38 have been successfully developed, such as daratumumab, isatuximab (SAR650984) and MOR202 (
Checkpoint Inhibitors
EBV-driven latent membrane protein LMP1 is overexpressed to activate the NF-κB/MAPK and JAK/STAT signalling pathways, which leads to high PD-L1 expression. Based on the involvement of these signalling pathways, anti-PD-1 antibodies and JAK1/2/3 inhibitors have been the subject of specific drug research and applications (
Table 2
| Therapy | Patients characteristics | Efficacy | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemotherapy | Steroids, etoposide and cyclosporine or cytotoxic chemotherapy + HSCT | CAEBV | OS: 87% | ( | |
| DDGP | NKTCL | First-line treatment. | - | ||
| SMILE regimen | NKTCL | ORR: 79%, CR: 45% | ( | ||
| P-Gemox | NKTCL | ORR: 80%, CR: 51.4% | ( | ||
| AspaMetDex | NKTCL | ORR:77.8% | ( | ||
| CHOP | PTCL-NOS | Usually incurable. | – | ||
| Allo-HSCT | EBV-T/NK-LPD | It is a method to cure EBV-T/NK-LPD. | ( | ||
| Immunotherapy | Monoclonal antibody | Daratumumab | NKTCL | ORR:35.7% | ( |
| ORR:25% | ( | ||||
| BV | NKTCL | 2 patients received CR. | ( | ||
| Checkpoint inhibitors | Pembrolizumab | NKTCL | 5 of the 7 R/R patients achieved CR. | ( | |
| NKTCL | 2 patients received CR 2 patients received PR. | ( | |||
| Nivolumab | NKTCL | 3 patients with R/R NKTCL achieved clinical response. | ( | ||
| Sintilimab | NKTCL | ORR:68% | ( | ||
| Avelumab | NKTCL | CR:24%, ORR:38% | ( | ||
| Geptanolimab | PTCL | CR:14.6%, ORR:40.4% | ( | ||
| PRN371 | NKTCL | It can inhibit tumor growth in NKTCL xenograft model. | ( | ||
| Tofacitinib | NKTCL | It can inhibit JAK3 activity in vivo and in vitro. | ( | ||
| CTL | LMP-CTL | NKTCL | CR was 2-6 years, and 8 survived for at least 2 years. | ( | |
| LMP-CTL | NKTCL | OS: 100%, PFS:90% | ( | ||
| Epigenetic therapy | HDAC Inhibitors | SAHA | PTCL and CTCL | It can inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in NKTCL xenograft model. | ( |
| Romidepsin | PTCL and CTCL | It can induce complete and lasting response. | ( | ||
| Chidamide | PTCL | It has significant single drug activity and controllable toxicity | ( | ||
| Other approaches | Proteasome inhibitor | Bortezomib+ CHOP | NKTCL | ORR: 61.5% | ( |
| Bortezomib | CTCL and PTCL | ORR: 67% | ( | ||
| Bortezomib | NKTCL | ORR: 42.8% | ( | ||
Summary of available therapies in EBV-T/NK-LPD.
Table 3
| Intervention/treatment | Phase | Tumour type | ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD30 monoclonal antibody | MDX-1401 | Phase 1 | R/R HL | NCT00634452 |
| BV | Phase 2 | cHL, PTCL | NCT03947255 | |
| BV/BV + bendamostine/BV+ dacarbazine/BV+nivolumab | Phase 2 | HL, PTCL | NCT01716806 | |
| BV/BV + nivolumab | Phase 2 | R/R HL, NHL | NCT01703949 | |
| BV + nivolumab | Phase 2 | R/R HL | NCT04561206 | |
| BV | Phase 2 | R/R HL | NCT01508312 | |
| BV + chemotherapy | Phase 1 and phase 2 | Stage II-IV HIV associated HL | NCT01771107 | |
| BV + irutinib | Phase 2 | R/R HL | NCT02744612 | |
| BV + nivolumab | Phase 2 | R/R HL | NCT03057795 | |
| BV + chemotherapy | Phase 2 | Stage II-IV elderly HL | NCT01476410 | |
| BV + chemotherapy | Phase 3 | Stage IIB/IIIB-IVB adolescent HL | NCT02166463 | |
| BV + chemotherapy | Phase 1 and phase 2 | R/R DLBCL | NCT03356054 | |
| BV + lenalidomide + rituximab | Phase 3 | R/R DLBCL | NCT04404283 | |
| BV | / | R/R PTCL | NCT04213209 | |
| BV | Phase2 | PTCL | NCT03947255 | |
| CTL | Rituximab + LMP-CTL | Phase 2 | child PTLD | NCT02900976 |
| Tabelecleucel | Phase 3 | PTLD | NCT03394365 | |
| Tabelecleucel | Phase 2 | EBV related diseases | NCT04554914 | |
| PD-1 inhibitor | Nivolumab + ifosfamide, + carboplatin+ etoposide | Phase2 | R/R HL | NCT03016871 |
| Nivolumab+radiotherapy | Phase2 | cHL | NCT03480334 | |
| Camrelizumab +/— decitabine | Phase2 | HL | NCT03250962 | |
| Camrelizumab + GEMOX | Phase2 | R/R HL | NCT04239170 | |
| Sintilimab + RCHOP | Phase2 | EBV+DLBCL | NCT04181489 | |
| Tislelizumab + zanubrutinib | Phase2 | EBV+DLBCL | NCT04705129 | |
| Tislelizumab + dexamethasone, azacytidine + pegaspargase | Phase2 | NKTCL | NCT04899414 | |
| Tislelizumab + (azacytidine + lenalidomide)/(etoposide, pegaspargase) | / | NKTCL | NCT05058755 | |
| Tislelizumab | Phase2 | NKTCL/PTCL | NCT03493451 | |
| Avelumab | Phase2 | PTCL | NCT03046953 | |
| PD-1 blocking antibody+ chidamide + lenalidomide + gemcitabine | Phase 4 | PTCL | NCT04040491 | |
| PD-1 antibody+ HDAC inhibitor | Phase 2 | PTCL | NCT04512534 | |
| Geptanolimab (GB226) | Phase 2 | PTCL | NCT03502629 | |
| Sintilimab + chidamide+ azacidine | Phase 2 | PTCL | NCT04052659 | |
| Nivolumab + cabiralizumab | Phase 2 | PTCL | NCT03927105 | |
| HDAC inhibitor | Romidepsin + pralatrexate+durvalumab +5-azacitidine | Phase 1 and phase 2 | R/R PTCL | NCT03161223 |
| HDAC inhibitor+PD-1 antibody | Phase 2 | PTCL | NCT04512534 | |
| Romidepsin + lenalidomide | Phase 2 | PTCL | NCT02232516 | |
| Romidepsin + Ixazomib | Phase 1 and phase 2 | R/R PTCL | NCT03547700 | |
| Romidepsin + lenalidomide+ CC-486 (5-azacitidine) + dexamethasone | Phase 1 | PTCL. Etc. | NCT04447027 | |
| Azacytidine + romidepsin + belinostat + pralatrexate + gemcitabine | Phase 2 | PTCL | NCT04747236 |
Clinical trials of therapy for EBV LPDs.
PD-1 expression can be detected in 30–60% of PTCL/NOS cases (111). In a single arm multicenter phase 2 study completed in China, all R/R PTCL patients received at least one dose of geptanolimab. Of the 89 patients with FAS, 40.4% achieved ORR, and 14.6% achieved CR. Patients with PD-L1 expression ≥ 50% benefited more from treatment (
CTLs
Greater than 90% of cases of natural killer (NK)/T cell NHL, nasal type, are related to latent type II EBV. Tumour cells can express the weakly immunogenic EBV antigens LMP1, LMP2 and EBNA1. The stimulation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) targeting LMP1 and LMP2 showed efficacy in EBV+ NKTCL. In a clinical trial of LMP-CTLs in 52 EBV-associated lymphomas in the United States, 5 of 11 NKTCL patients received CTLs as consolidation treatment after primary radiotherapy or autologous stem cell transplantation. CR was achieved for 2–6 years, 8 patients survived for at least 2 years, and the longest period of CR was 6 years. In half of the patients, EBV levels could not be detected in plasma during CR (
Epigenetic Therapy
Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors
Reactivation of the EBV lytic cycle can enable cytotoxic antiviral drugs to achieve a specific killing effect on EBV-positive cells. These types of therapy include chemical lytic inducers and nucleoside analogue antiviral prodrugs. Studies have shown that HDAC inhibitors can reactivate the lytic cycle and lead to enhanced apoptosis of NPC and gastric cancer cells (112–114). HDAC inhibitors are divided into three categories according to their chemical structure: hydroxamate, cyclic peptide and benzamide. Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) induces apoptosis and/or cell cycle arrest in some T and NK cell lines. SAHA also inhibited tumour progression and metastasis in a mouse xenograft model, demonstrating that it can inhibit EBV-related T and NK cell lymphoma (
Other Approaches
Proteasome Inhibitors
Proteasome inhibitors have been shown to inhibit cell growth and promote cell death in a variety of cancers. Bortezomib is the first proteasome inhibitor approved by the FDA in 2003 for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) and mantle cell lymphoma (119). The manipulation of normal ubiquitin proteasome system function by EBV is vital for virus replication and the survival of virus-infected cells. EBNA-1, LMP-2A and LMP-1 inhibit proteasome-mediated degradation to maintain virus latency, while bortezomib can reactivate the EBV lytic cycle in EBV-related BL cells (120). Induction of the EBV lytic cycle can activate the radioisotope [125I]2’-fluoro-2’-deoxy-β-D-5-iodouracil-arabinofuranoside, selectively inhibiting the growth of BL xenografts in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice (121). Granato M et al. found that bortezomib activates endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and that C/EBP-β, C-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and autophagy mediate the transformation of a latent to a lytic EBV infection. It is more difficult to induce the EBV lysis cycle in lymphoid cells than in epithelial cells, and this effect is limited to BL cells (122). In addition to reinducing the lysis cycle, bortezomib can affect the apoptosis of EBV-related malignant tumour cells. The latent EBV membrane protein LMP-1 has been shown to activate the NF-κB pathway in BL and NPC, and this pathway has strong tumorigenic activity and may contribute to resistance to apoptosis inducers (123, 124). Bortezomib can protect the inhibitory protein IκBα and block NF-κB activation, leading to malignant cell apoptosis (125–128). It has been reported that bortezomib can induce the apoptosis of NK lymphoma/leukaemia cells, and this result was verified in vivo (
Selective Nuclear Export Protein Inhibitors
XPO1 is a nuclear export protein responsible for transporting biological macromolecules from the nucleus, including tumour suppressor proteins (TSPs) (e.g. p53, p73, FOXO3a, and IκB), growth regulators (e.g., glucocorticoid receptors), and oncogenic proteins (e.g., mRNA, c-myc, cyclin D, Bcl-2, and Bcl-6). In healthy cells, this process is strictly regulated to maintain an appropriate balance between cell growth and apoptosis (130). Studies have found that high levels of XPO1 are associated with poor clinical prognosis of multiple myeloma, DLBCL, glioblastoma and other diseases (130–132). As a linker protein, the EBV protein SM is involved in the nuclear output of mRNA encoding the soluble EBV gene. XPO1 inhibitors can covalently bind to XPO1 active sites and inhibit the output of corresponding mRNAs to the cytoplasm for translation, thereby effectively inhibiting EBV replication and virus transmission (133). Based on the mechanism of action of XPO1 inhibitors, they have broad application prospects in EBV-LPD and are under clinical investigation. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase I study of ATG-527 (KPT-335, verdinexor) for the treatment of CAEBV is ongoing; the aim of this study is to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and overall treatment response of different dose levels of ATG-527 in patients with CAEBV.
Exosomes
Exosomes are small membrane-bound vesicles secreted by cells. These extracellular vesicles (EVs) carry a wide range of molecules and affect intercellular communication, which contributes to the pathogenesis of various diseases and infections (134, 135). There is considerable evidence that EBV-related exosomes specifically package a variety of viral components that may promote EBV infection (such as LMP-1, lmp-2a, EBER, viral RNA, and miRNA) (136–139), which may help EBV establish the surrounding tumour microenvironment to promote tumour growth and survival. In addition, Keryer-Bibens C et al. found that galectin-9-containing exosomes inhibited EBV-specific T cell proliferation and induced apoptosis (136). Therefore, blocking these exosomes can restore immune surveillance while resisting tumours. Exosomes have been designated as an effective target for cancer treatment, but they need to be further explored.
Conclusion
In general, there has been great progress in our understanding and treatment of EBV-LPDs in recent years from traditional chemotherapy, changes in immunosuppressants and HSCT to immunotherapy, gene therapy and epigenetic therapy stemming from discoveries of signaling pathways and virus latency and lysis cycles; together, this improved understanding will lead to the development of better treatment options with fewer side effects. Among such potential treatments, proteasome inhibitors, HDAC inhibitors and JAK inhibitors have been tested in vitro and in vivo using xenotransplantation models. The effects of rituximab, nivolumab, pembrolizumab, daratumumab, bortezomib and CTLs have been confirmed in clinical trials. However, we must appreciate that most of the research results are limited to specific groups. For heterogeneous populations of EBV-LPDs, immunotherapy targets, checkpoint inhibitors, CTLs, small molecule targets and even gene therapy are still elusive. We hope that as the data and science related to these methods mature, they will provide alternative treatments as both monotherapy and combination therapy.
Funding
This work was financially supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81960043, 82160043), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province (20192ACB20030), Science and Technology Innovation Base Construction Project of Jiangxi Province (20211ZDG02006, 20212BCG74001).
Publisher’s Note
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Statements
Author contributions
KL and TY design, analysis and draft the manuscript. MY, ZC: supervision, funding acquisition, writing–review and editing. YZ: methodology, and writing–review and editing. FL: design, supervision, funding acquisition, methodology, project administration, writing–review and editing. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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Summary
Keywords
barr virus, lymphoproliferative disorders, lymphoma, therapy, advances
Citation
Lv K, Yin T, Yu M, Chen Z, Zhou Y and Li F (2022) Treatment Advances in EBV Related Lymphoproliferative Diseases. Front. Oncol. 12:838817. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.838817
Received
18 December 2021
Accepted
11 March 2022
Published
19 April 2022
Volume
12 - 2022
Edited by
Hubing Shi, Sichuan University, China
Reviewed by
Won Seog Kim, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea; Joshua Nyagol, University of Nairobi, Kenya
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Copyright
© 2022 Lv, Yin, Yu, Chen, Zhou and Li.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Yulan Zhou, wenxin_yl@163.com; Fei Li, ndyfy01238@ncu.edu.cn
†These authors have contributed equally to this work
This article was submitted to Hematologic Malignancies, a section of the journal Frontiers in Oncology
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