Leukemia and lymphoma: infrequent manifestations of common viral infections? A review.

Horizontally transmitted viruses have been etiologically linked to leukemia and lymphoma in several higher mammals (gibbons, cows, and cats). In the best-studied example, the cat, feline leukemia virus is a common community-acquired virus that infrequently produces cancer. However, the infection and its complications (cancer) are not typical of infectious diseases. Epidemilogically, serologically, and virologically, infections with this type of virus can contradict classic infectious disease dogma. Therefore, previous studies that failed to link characteristics of infectious diseases (epidemiologic, serologic, or virologic) to human cancer must be cautiously interpreted. A link between retroviruses and/or DNA viruses and human lympho-reticular malignancies is hypothesized, and it is suggested that systematized nation-wide studies of selected cancer patients and their contacts be executed with the most sensitive and specific laboratory probes available.