Resumen
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial cancer associated with Epstein?Barr virus (EBV) infection. EBV infection contributes to not only the tumorigenesis of NPC but also the formation of a complicated tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in NPC. Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphoid members of the innate immune system exhibiting both anti-tumor and anti-virus abilities. The cytokine and cellular interaction features of NK cells are distinct from those of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. This unique characteristic has not been fully described in EBV+ NPC. This review provides an overview of the complicated crosstalk between NK cells and the TIME of EBV+ NPC and potential therapeutic strategies. A new perspective is proposed to direct future exploration.