High prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Korea

✍ Scribed by Su Cheol Park; Sook-Hyang Jeong; Jin Kim; Chul Ju Han; You Cheoul Kim; Kui Sung Choi; Jang Hyun Cho; Myoungjin Lee; Ha Hyun Jung; Seung Seog Ki; Yoon Hwan Chang; Seung Sook Lee; Yeon Hee Park; Kee Ho Lee

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 128 KB
• Volume: 80
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.21168

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

This study assessed the association of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma in a highly HBV‐endemic area. The prevalence of either HBV or HCV infection in 235 patients with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma was compared with that of an age‐ and sex‐matched hospital control group of 235 patients. The prevalence of HBV infection was higher in B‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (15.5%) than control (8.1%), but the prevalence of HCV infection in the non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma patients (2.1%) and control group (3%) was similar. HBV prevalence increased significantly with age in the B‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma patients. The presence of HBV proteins and DNA in lymphoma tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from HBV‐infected non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma patients was also investigated using immunohistochemistry and PCR. HBV DNA was frequently detected in PBMCs from HBV‐infected non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma patients, but HBV antigens were not. Therefore, HBV infection, but not HCV infection, was associated with B‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma in Korea, suggesting a possible role for HBV in the development of non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma. J. Med. Virol. 80:960–966, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.