High prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
In this hospital-based, multicenter case-control study we investigated the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related markers and HBV/hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection among B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL) cases and controls. Four hundred newly diagnosed B-NHL cases and 392 controls from other departments of the same hospitals were studied. The prevalence of positivity for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was 8.5% among B-NHL cases and 2.8% among controls (adjusted odds ratio, 3.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.75-7.66). HBV/HCV co-infection was found in four cases, but in no controls. The finding of a positive association between HBV infection and B-NHL raises the possibility that HBV may play an etiologic role in the induction of B-NHL.
Marcucci
Fabrizio
F
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. fabmarcu@tin.it
Mele
Alfonso
A
Spada
Enea
E
Candido
Angela
A
Bianco
Elvira
E
Pulsoni
Alessandro
A
Chionne
Paola
P
Madonna
Elisabetta
E
Cotichini
Rodolfo
R
Barbui
Anna
A
De Renzo
Amalia
A
Dore
Fausto
F
Iannitto
Emilio
E
Liso
Vincenzo
V
Martino
Bruno
B
Montanaro
Marco
M
Pagano
Livio
L
Musto
Pellegrino
P
Rapicetta
Maria
M
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology*; D015995:Prevalence
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies