World Journal of Radiology (World J Radiol

W J R
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doi:10.4329/wjr.v3.i12.279
Chest neoplasms with infectious etiologies
Carlos S Restrepo, Melissa M Chen, Santiago Martinez-Jimenez, Jorge Carrillo, Catalina Restrepo
Carlos S Restrepo, Melissa M Chen, Santiago Martinez-
Jimenez, Jorge Carrillo, Catalina Restrepo, Department of
Radiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San
Antonio, Mail Code 7800, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio,
TX 78229, United States
Author contributions: Chen MM, Restrep CS reviewed and
summarized the literature that provided the basis of the manuscript.
Martinez-Jimenez C, Carrillo J and Restrepo C contributed
to the conceptual design of the manuscript and data interpretation.
Correspondence to: Carlos S Restrepo, M�, M�, Assistant �ro- �ro-
fessor, Department of Radiology, The University of Texas Health
Science Center at San Antonio, Mail Code 7800, 7703 Floyd Curl
Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, United States. crestr@gmail.com
Telephone: +1-210-5676488 Fax: +1-210-5676418
Received: May 4, 2011 Revised: September 19, 2011
Accepted: October 11, 2011
�ublished online: December 28, 2011
Abstract
A wide spectrum of thoracic tumors have known or suspected
viral etiologies. Oncogenic viruses can be classified
by the type of genomic material they contain. Neoplastic
conditions found to have viral etiologies include
post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, lymphoid
granulomatosis, Kaposi’s sarcoma, Castleman’s disease,
recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, lung cancer, malignant
mesothelioma, leukemia and lymphomas. Viruses
involved in these conditions include Epstein-Barr virus,
human herpes virus 8, human papillomavirus, Simian
virus 40, human immunodeficiency virus, and Human
T-lymphotropic virus. Imaging findings, epidemiology
and mechanism of transmission for these diseases are
reviewed in detail to gain a more thorough appreciation
of disease pathophysiology for the chest radiologist.
© 2011 Baishideng. All rights reserved.
Key words: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; Castleman’s
disease; Kaposi’s sarcoma; Thoracic imaging;
Thoracic lymphoma; Thoracic malignancies; Malignant
mesothelioma
WJR|www.wjgnet.com
World Journal of
Radiology
Peer reviewer: Patrick K Ha, MD, Assistant Professor, Johns
Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology, Johns Hopkins Head
and Neck Surgery at GBMC, 1550 Orleans Street, David H Koch
Cancer Research Building, Room 5M06, Baltimore, MD 21231,
United States
Restrepo CS, Chen MM, Martinez-Jimenez S, Carrillo J, Restrepo
C. Chest neoplasms with infectious etiologies. World J
Radiol 2011; 3(12): 279-288 Available from: URL: http://www.
wjgnet.com/1949-8470/full/v3/i12/279.htm DOI: http://dx.doi.
org/10.4329/wjr.v3.i12.279
INTRODUCTION
Approximately 12% of cancers worldwide can be linked
to a viral infection [1] . Oncogenic viruses that have been
identified include Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human herpes
virus 8 (HHV8), human papillomavirus (HPV), Simian
virus 40 (SV-40), Human T-lymphotropic virus, and
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [1,2] . Viruses can be
categorized into several families and sub-families according
to the type of genomic material they contain (DNA
or RNA), symmetry of the capsid, presence or absence
of an envelope, dimension, and the viral genome replication
mechanisms. Tumor viruses belong to a number of
families including the DNA virus families: Hepadnaviridae,
Herpesviridae, and Papillomaviridae and the RNA
virus families: Retroviridae and Flaviviridae [3] .
This article focuses on thoracic tumors with viral
etiologies, which include post-transplant lymphoproliferative
disease, lymphomatoid granulomatosis, Kaposi’s
sarcoma (KS), Castleman’s disease, recurrent respiratory
papillomatosis (RRP), lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma,
leukemia and lymphomas. The participation of the
viral infection in the pathogenesis of these tumors as well
as their most common imaging findings will be discussed.
EBV
World J Radiol 2011 December 28; 3(12): 279-288
ISSN 1949-8470 (online)
© 2011 Baishideng. All rights reserved.
EDITORIAL
EBV was first discovered in 1964 by Epstein and Barr
279 December 28, 2011|Volume 3|Issue 12|