title: Intrahepatic high-grade malignant non-Hodgkin lymphoma in a patient with chronic hepatitis C infection.
abstract: A 61-year-old white female with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection first diagnosed in 1994 was admitted with two newly discovered lesions in the liver suspected to represent hepatocellular carcinoma. The alpha-1-fetoprotein (AFP) level was within normal limits and there was neither clinical nor sonographic evidence of liver cirrhosis. Fine needle aspiration, however, showed an high-grade malignant centroblastic non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Staging failed to confirm extrahepatic involvement. Both a cryoglobulinemia and HIV infection were ruled out. Although the coincidence of HCV infection and NHL is not well recognized, recent studies have indicated an increased incidence of NHL and hepatitis C in up to 38% of patients with cryoglobulinemia. In these patients, the diagnosis is always one of a low-grade lymphoma. Based on its lymphoproliferative characteristics, an etiologic role for HCV in the development of NHL has been discussed, though the exact pathogenesis remains unclear.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ellenrieder
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Beckh
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klatt
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Adler
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors