title: Primary lymphoma of the liver: clinical-pathological features and relationship with HCV infection in French patients.
abstract: Primary lymphoma of the liver (PLL) is rare. In some cases, the hepatic lymphoma has been diagnosed in patients who were infected by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It has been suggested that HCV plays a role in the pathogenesis of lymphoma. The aim of our multicentric retrospective study was to assess the characteristics of PLL and to determine the prevalence of HCV infection in PLL. Thirty-one immunocompetent patients (anti-human immunodeficiency virus, anti-human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus negative, no history of allograft) with PLL fulfilled the entire selection criteria. The liver biopsy specimens were reassessed by the same pathologist. The non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were classified according to the World Health Organization classification. Blood samples were tested in 28 patients for antibodies to HCV, and HCV RNA was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. In the majority of cases, the clinical, biologic, and radiologic data were nonspecific. Twenty-seven of 31 patients presented a B-cell lymphoma corresponding to the centroblastic morphologic variant of a diffuse, large B-cell lymphoma (22 cases), a Burkitt's lymphoma (1 case), an extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type (3 cases), and unclassified, small B-cell lymphoma (1 case). The 4 other cases were T-cell lymphomas. The prevalence of HCV infection was 21% (6 of 28 cases). All of these patients were positive for HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction in blood. Most of the HCV-infected patients presented a high-grade, B-cell type lymphoma. In conclusion, our study confirms the rarity of PLL and demonstrates an increased prevalence of HCV infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hépato-gastroentérologie, INSERM EMI 0014, CHU, Nancy, France.jp.bronowicki@chu-nancy.fr
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bronowicki
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bineau
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Feugier
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hermine
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brousse
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oberti
authors.forename: Marie-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rousselet
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dharancy
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gaulard
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Flejou
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cazals-Hatem
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Labouyrie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome