title: A tailored health surveillance program unveils a case of MALT lymphoma in an HCV-positive health-care worker.
abstract: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) may occur among hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected individuals. HCV is one of the most common blood-borne pathogens transmitted from patients to health-care workers (HCWs). The development of NHL among HCV-infected HCWs has recently been shown. To investigate this issue further a tailored health surveillance program was applied to 3,138 HCWs from four Medical Institutions. To this aim, all employees were screened for both anti-HCV antibodies and HCV-related extrahepatic manifestations. The HCV prevalence rate, similar among all the HCW subgroups, was 7.3%. The occurrence of a gastric mucosa-associated lymphoma tissue (MALT) lymphoma, diagnosed in a physician following a long history of HCV chronic infection, was observed. Molecular characterization of MALT tissue indicated that immunoglobuline gene combinations were those usually found among HCV-associated lymphomas. Furthermore, B-cell expansion exhibited t(14;18) translocation, as a genetic abnormality associated with the development of MALT lymphomas from HCV-positive patients. Overall, these findings support the hypothesis that HCV viral infection potentially affects the pathway of transformation and progression of lymphoma cells. The occurrence of B-cell NHL, among HCV-positive HCWs, is an additional reason to apply the standard precautions to reduce the risk of blood-borne pathogen transmission.
authors: Section of Occupational Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Systemic Diseases, University of Catania, I-95125 Catania;
authors: Venerando
authors: V
authors: Rapisarda
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Marconi
authors: Saverio
authors: S
authors: Candido
authors: Daria
authors: D
authors: Nicolosi
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Salmeri
authors: Pietro
authors: P
authors: Gangemi
authors: Lidia
authors: L
authors: Proietti
authors: Demetrios A
authors: DA
authors: Spandidos
authors: Massimo
authors: M
authors: Bracci
authors: Cettina
authors: C
authors: Fenga
authors: Massimo
authors: M
authors: Libra
keywords: health-care worker; hepatitis C virus; non-Hodgkin lymphoma; surveillance