Plasma Epstein-Bar virus DNA and risk of future nasopharyngeal cancer

A prospective study published in 2017 showed that nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) screening with circulating Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA analysis can improve survival. The same group conducted a second-round screening at a median of 43 months after the initial screening, among 88.8% of the participants of the first-round screening. Among the patients identified as having NPC, a significantly higher proportion had stage I/II cancer than in a historical cohort, and they had a superior 3-year progression-free survival. Individuals with detectable plasma EBV DNA but without an immediately identifiable NPC in the first-round screening were more likely to have the cancer identified in the second round.