Larger than normal amounts of antibodies against this virus have been found in the bodies of nasopharyngeal cancer victims, amounts which vary in proportion to the severity of the disease.
杜詩綿醫師指出，這種病毒起初是從非洲的「小兒惡性淋巴瘤」所培養而得的癌細胞中發現的，而後有人測出鼻咽癌患者身上，含有對抗這種病毒的抗體，無論種類與含量，都比一般人高得多。鼻咽癌病人病況惡化時，抗體量變得更高；但若經過適當治療，就又減低。