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The module will provide an overview of tumour viruses and some other microbial pathogens which cause human cancers. Infections with viruses including human papillomavirus (HPV), Epstein Barr virus (EBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Kaposi’s sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV), Human T cell leukaemia virus (HTLV-1) and Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) together with Helicobacter pylori and certain helminths can lead to cancers such as lymphoma, carcinoma and leukaemia. The initial part of the module will focus on how the research on tumour viruses advanced our knowledge on the concepts in cancer biology, such as the genetic basis of cancer, the multistep process of carcinogenesis, the cellular origins of viral oncogenes, positive and negative regulatory genes as cancer genes (proto-oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes) and the unification of the molecular basis of cancer. Students will be further introduced to human oncogenic viruses and the tumour types they promote, and the role of viral proteins that target common cellular pathways to promote tumourigenesis, the immune evasion mechanisms of these viruses, and the multifactorial nature of viral tumours. The final part of the module will focus on the clinical significance of cancers caused by viruses, and the novel approaches to treat and prevent viral tumours with a particular focus on vaccines against tumour viruses. In addition, this module will also incorporate the emerging therapeutic approaches to treat malignancies derived from considered virus-host interactions and tumour virology.