Prevention of Oncogenic Gammaherpesvirinae (EBV and HHV8) Associated Disease in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients

Abstract

Long-term risk for malignancy is higher among solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients compared to the general population. Four non-hepatitis viruses have been recognized as oncogenic in SOT recipients—EBV, cause of EBV-associated lymphoproliferative diseases; human herpes virus 8 (HHV8), cause of Kaposi sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma and multicentric Castleman disease; human papilloma virus, cause of squamous cell skin cancers, and Merkel cell polyomavirus, cause of Merkel cell carcinoma. Two of these viruses (EBV and HHV8) belong to the human herpes virus family. In this review, we will discuss key aspects regarding the clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases in SOT recipients associated with the two herpesviruses.