Table 2.
Cancers that have been associated with particular parasites for which a causal role has not yet been generally accepted.
| Cancer | Candidate parasites |
|---|---|
| Colorectal cancer | Schistosoma japonicum† |
| Liver cancer | Schistosoma japonicum† |
| Merkel cell cancer | Merkel cell polyomavirus† |
| Mesothelioma | Simian virus 40 (SV40)† |
| Breast cancer | MMTV†, EBV†, HPV† |
| Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia | EBV† |
| Hodgkin's lymphoma | EBV† |
| Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas | EBV†, SV40† |
| Skin cancers | HPV† |
| Oesophageal cancer | HPV† |
| Colon cancer | JC virus† |
| Ovarian cancer | Unknown retrovirus, EBV† |
| Prostrate | XMRV, BK virus† |
†
Known to be persistent parasites.
EBV, Epstein–Barr virus; HPV, human papilloma virus; MMTV, mouse mammary tumour virus; JC virus, John Cunningham virus; XMRV, xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus.