Chemotherapy of human oncogenic viral infections: The possible role of interferon and reverse transcriptase inhibitors

Abstract Epidemiologic and virologic studies are providing increasingly firm links between viruses and carcinoma of the breast, sarcoma, leukemia, carcinoma of the cervix, and lymphoma. Since these diseases are apparently not epidemic in nature, immunization—which has been so successfully applied for control of many viral illnesses—will probably be less useful. The development of effective, broad‐spectrum, antiviral compounds is therefore imperative. Developing drugs with dart‐like specificity demands a clear knowledge of the differences in virus and cell replicative mechanisms. Specificity for viral processes is essential if cell toxicity is to be circumvented, since cirus replication occurs intracellularly with a partial dependence on cell macromolecular functions. With an increasing knowledge of the growth cycle of viruses, we recognize that both cytolytic and oncogenic viruses—although causing antithetic effects on cells—may have common biochemical mechanisms for assembling viral proteins and nucleic acids. There similarities suggest it is possible to approach therapeutically these two types of viral infection in similar ways. Specific antiviral drugs should be useful, not only in a prophylactic way, but also as an additional mode of therapy which can complement the surgical and chemotherapeutic approach to patients with established tumors.