Cancer-associated fibroblasts in undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a putative role for the EBV-encoded oncoprotein, LMP1

Undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is 100% associated with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection, and biopsies display variable levels of expression of the viral oncoprotein, latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1). Emerging evidence suggests an important role for cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the NPC tumour microenvironment, yet the interaction between the virus, its latent gene products and the recruitment and activation of CAFs in the NPC tumour stroma remains unclear. This short review will discuss the current evidence for the importance of CAFs in NPC pathogenesis and outline a putative role for the EBV-encoded oncoprotein, LMP1, in governing tumour–stromal interactions.