title: Parasite Infection, Carcinogenesis and Human Malignancy.
abstract: Cancer may be induced by many environmental and physiological conditions. Infections with viruses, bacteria and parasites have been recognized for years to be associated with human carcinogenicity. Here we review current concepts of carcinogenicity and its associations with parasitic infections. The helminth diseases schistosomiasis, opisthorchiasis, and clonorchiasis are highly carcinogenic while the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, the causing agent of Chagas disease, has a dual role in the development of cancer, including both carcinogenic and anticancer properties. Although malaria per se does not appear to be causative in carcinogenesis, it is strongly associated with the occurrence of endemic Burkitt lymphoma in areas holoendemic for malaria. The initiation of Plasmodium falciparum related endemic Burkitt lymphoma requires additional transforming events induced by the Epstein-Barr virus. Observations suggest that Strongyloides stercoralis may be a relevant co-factor in HTLV-1-related T cell lymphomas. This review provides an overview of the mechanisms of parasitic infection-induced carcinogenicity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Applied Research Center, Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam. Electronic address: tong.van-hoang@uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Hoang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van Tong
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Neglected Diseases of Poverty, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Brindley
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Health Focus GmbH, Potsdam, Germany; Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Viet Nam; Vietnamese - German Centre for Medical Research (VG-CARE), Hanoi, Viet Nam.
authors.forename: Christian G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Viet Nam; Vietnamese - German Centre for Medical Research (VG-CARE), Hanoi, Viet Nam. Electronic address: velavan@medizin.uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Thirumalaisamy P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Velavan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D063646:Carcinogenesis; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology*
keywords: Carcinogenesis; Chagas disease; Infection-associated cancer; Malaria; Opisthorchiasis; Schistosomiasis; Strongyloidiasis