Epstein-Barr Virus Participates in the Development and Progression of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and its Application in Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Integrated Treatment

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a epithelial tumor from the nasopharynx. Its pathogenesis is closely related to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, the patients account for over 95% of global NPC incidence. NPC is a highly malignant tumor, with over 70% of patients diagnosed at an intermediate or advanced stage. Over 90% of those diagnosed with undifferentiated NPC are infected with EBV. Currently, radiotherapy alone and concurrent chemoradiotherapy are the main treatment options for NPC. Early-stage NPC is primarily treated with radical radiotherapy, appropriately combined with chemotherapy, while locally advanced NPC is treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. However, long-term radiotherapy and chemotherapy can be difficult for NPC patients and can cause corresponding toxic side effects. Therefore, tumor immunotherapy is a promising treatment method for NPC, including vaccination, adoptive cell therapy, and immune checkpoint blockade. In addition, traditional Chinese medicine treatment can improve the immune status of NPC patients, reduce the toxic side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and improve survival time and quality of life. Therefore, the traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment for NPC patients has shown remarkable efficacy; this also suggests that the traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment of NPC has broad development prospects. Herin, we summarize mechanisms of EBV involved in NPC, and mainly elaborate the traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment targeted EBV for NPC patients. This article provides some insights for future related research.