Hepatitis C virus in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A reappraisal after a prospective case-control study of 300 patients

It is widely thought, but not yet explained, that there might be a pathogen etic link between the infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the onset of B non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). We studied the prevalence of serum anti-HC V antibodies among 300 NHL comparing it with the prevalence among 600 age- and sex-matched non-neoplastic subjects as controls, 247 patients with non- lymphomatous neoplasm, and 122 patients treated with immunosuppressive agen ts. We found a prevalence of 0.16 among NHL and 0.085 among controls and no n-lymphomatous patients. Although the difference was statistically signific ant (P< 0.001), the odds ratio was 2.049 and its confidence intervals inclu ded the equality. The HCV prevalence was independent of NHL subset, and the genotypes distribution was the same among NHL and controls. We disclosed a HBsAg prevalence of 0.077 in NHL versus 0.008 in controls (P< 0.001) with an odds ratio of 9,9, We do not believe that these findings support the hyp othesis of an HCV pathogenetic role in lymphomagenesis because (i) the risk of previous infection is marginally higher in NHL than in controls, (ii) a typical genotype distribution is lacking, as Is a NHL clinico-histological feature associated with HCV, and (iii) the higher prevalence of viral infe ction is not specific as witnessed by the high HBsAg prevalence. Am. J, Hem atol. 64:95-100, 2000, (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss. Inc.