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Hepatitis C virus infection in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma |
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| Authors: | Clodoveo Ferri Francesco Caracciolo Anna Linda Zignego Luca La Civita Monica Monti Giovanni Longombardo Francesco Lombardini Francesco Greco Enrico Capochiani Alessandro Mazzoni Cesare Mazzaro Giampiero Pasero |
| Affiliation: | Istituto Patologia Medica I, Ospedale di Pordenone, Italy;Haematology Unit, Clinica Medica I, University of Pisa, Ospedale di Pordenone, Italy;Istituto di Clinica Medica II, University of Florence, Ospedale di Pordenone, Italy;Blood Centre, Ospedale S. Chiara, Pisa;Divisione Medicina, Ospedale di Pordenone, Italy |
| Abstract: | Summary. Hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is both a hepatotropic and a lymphotropic virus, has been proposed as a possible causative agent of mixed cryoglobulinaemia. This 'benign' lymphoproliferative disorder can switch over to a malignant B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Therefore HCV infection has been investigated in a series of 50 unselected Italian patients with B-cell NHL. Antibodies against HCV were found in 30% of NHL and HCV viraemia in 32% of cases. HCV-related markers were detected in 34% (17/50) of our NHL patients; this prevalence is particularly significant when compared with HCV seropositivity in Hodgkin's lymphoma (3%) and healthy controls (1.3%). |
| Keywords: | hepatitis C virus non-Hodgkin's lymphoma B-cell lymphoma |