Hepatitis C virus infection and lymphoproliferative diseases: prospective study on 1,576 patients in France.
BACKGROUND
Discordant data have been reported about the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with lymphoproliferative diseases and the putative role of HCV in lymphomagenesis.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence of HCV infection in patients admitted to a hematology department in Paris, France.


METHODS
Prospective, controlled study.


METHODS
University medical center.


METHODS
813 patients admitted to the Hematology department (164 B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 34 Hodgkin's diseases, 107 chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 54 multiple myeloma, 12 Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, 17 acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 6 hairy cell leukemia, 189 myeloproliferative diseases, 6 solid organ tumors, and 224 nonmalignant diseases) and 694 patients admitted to the Internal Medicine department (control group).


METHODS
All patients were tested for antibodies to HCV by a third-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
HCV antibodies were detected in 20 of 813 (2.46%) patients in Hematology including 11 of 394 (2.79%) patients with lymphoproliferative diseases, 3 of 164 (1.83%) B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 2 of 107 (1.87%) chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 1 of 54 (1.85%) multiple myeloma, 1 of 189 (0.5%) myeloproliferative diseases, and 8 of 224 (3.57%) nonmalignant hematologic diseases. HCV antibodies were detected in 3 of 694 (0.43%) patients in the control group. HCV contamination preceded B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma only in 2 of 3 HCV-positive patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of HCV infection was low (1.83%) in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. HCV seems not to play a major role in the pathogenesis of B-cell lymphoma in France. Cofactors should be stressed to explain geographical discrepancies.
Hausfater
P
P
Service de Médecine Interne, CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière, 83-87 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris, France. pierre.hausfater@psl.ap-hop-paris.fr
Cacoub
P
P
Sterkers
Y
Y
Thibault
V
V
Amoura
Z
Z
Nguyen
L
L
Ghillani
P
P
Leblond
V
V
Piette
J C
JC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009196:Myeloproliferative Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies