Prevalence of hepatitis B or C virus infections in patients with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma

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Abstract
Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) are not only hepatotropic, but also lymphotropic viruses. Recently, some reports suggested that these viruses may participate in the development of malignant lymphoproliferative disorders. Methods: We investigated the prevalence of HCV or HBV infection in 348 patients with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). We also compared these prevalences with those in blood donors as a control group representing the general population in our area (n = 1 513 358). Next, we evaluated the clinical and pathologic characteristics of HCV‐ or HBV‐infected NHL cases. Non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma was classified according to the Working Formulation classification. Results: Thirty‐seven cases (14.9%) were found to be infected with HCV or HBV; of these, 20 (8.1%) were infected with HCV, and 17 (6.9%) with HBV. In male NHL patients, the rate of HCV infection was significantly higher than in an age‐ and sex‐matched population in the same area (P < 0.001, Mantel– Haenszel test). The rate of HBV infection also tended to be higher in the population (P = 0.0551). In contrast, in female NHL patients, the rate of HCV or HBV infection was not higher than in the general population. In HCV‐infected cases, 15 cases (75%) had B‐cell NHL and 16 cases (80%) were classified as being in the intermediate grade; B‐cell NHL comprised 83% of all NHL cases. In HBV‐infected NHL cases, 11 (65%) were of B‐cell type and 10 (58%) were classified as being in the intermediate grade. Conclusions: The high prevalence of HCV or HBV infections in our study population provides epidemiologic evidence suggesting that HCV and HBV infections may be involved in the development of a subgroup of NHL in males. Our investigation also revealed that both HCV‐ and HBV‐infected NHL patients showed certain similarities in clinical and pathologic manifestations.