Hepatitis C virus infection in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is both a hepatotropic and a lymphotropic virus, has been proposed as a possible causative agent of mixed cryoglobulinaemia. This 'benign' lymphoproliferative disorder can switch over to a malignant B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Therefore HCV infection has been investigated in a series of 50 unselected Italian patients with B-cell NHL. Antibodies against HCV were found in 30% of NHL and HCV viraemia in 32% of cases. HCV-related markers were detected in 34% (17/50) of our NHL patients; this prevalence is particularly significant when compared with HCV seropositivity in Hodgkin's lymphoma (3%) and healthy controls (1.3%).
Ferri
C
C
Istituto Patologia Medica I, University of Pisa, Italy.
Caracciolo
F
F
Zignego
A L
AL
La Civita
L
L
Monti
M
M
Longombardo
G
G
Lombardini
F
F
Greco
F
F
Capochiani
E
E
Mazzoni
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000821:virology*; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged