title: Hepatitis C virus infection and B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a cross-sectional study in Lyon, France.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the pathogenesis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is controversial. A high prevalence of HCV infection in patients with NHL has been reported in Italy and Japan. By contrast, several studies in Northern Europe and Canada have not found any increased prevalence of HCV in B-cell NHL, suggesting a possible geographic variation. We sought to determine whether such an association could be found in patients treated in the Rhone-Alpes region in south-east France. Our main interest was to identify histological subtypes preferentially linked to HCV.
  
  
  METHODS
  We determined the prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in 212 consecutive patients with B-cell NHL diagnosed in our institution between January 1997 and December 1998. The comparison group comprised 974 patients tested for HCV before transfusion at the same hospital during the same period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anti-HCV antibodies were found in six (2.8%) NHL patients. The distribution by histopathological category was as follows: three gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas, one marginal lymphoma and two diffuse large-cell lymphomas. Anti-HCV antibodies were found in 20 (2%) of 974 comparison patients. Overall, there was a positive but non-significant trend towards an association between NHL and HCV infection (odds ratio 1.31; 95% confidence interval 0.51-3.36). However, the prevalence of HCV antibodies was significantly higher in MALT lymphoma patients than in the comparison group (odds ratio 9.87; 95% confidence interval 2.59-37.69).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, this is the first French study to show an association between HCV and MALT lymphoma. These results, although derived from a small number of patients, suggest a possible role of HCV in gastric MALT lymphomagenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Lyon Civil Hospices, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sève
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Renaudier
authors.forename: Annie J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sasco
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dumontet
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salles
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coiffier
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zoulim
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Broussolle
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trépo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D005753:Gastric Mucosa; D005838:Genotype; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D018442:Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015415:Biomarkers