Only a minority of eBLs exhibit a more complex viral gene expression pattern due to a genomic deletion in EBV.9, 10 Cell lines derived from these tumours show marked resistance to apoptosis due to epigenetic silencing of the BIM promoter11 and functional inhibition of BIM, PUMA, BID and BAK by the viral BCL-2 homologue, BHRF1.12 The gene discussed is BBC3; the disease is neoplasm.