High concentrations of the virus that causes mononucleosis can help doctors predict the spread of a type of cancer that develops behind the nose, a study found. Epstein-Barr virus levels in the blood may also help predict the course of Hodgkin’s disease and some other cancers of the immune system, said lead researcher Jin-Ching Lin of Taiwan. Researchers do not know exactly how the virus is connected to those cancers, but a link has been found in the past. The study is too small to draw any final conclusions, said Dr. Ralph Vance, national volunteer president of the American Cancer Society.
