The majority of hepatitis B virus (HBV)–associated non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) cases in Western Europe were patients with advanced-stage diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), according to results of a retrospective study.
The findings suggest additional research is needed to better understand the nature of HBV-related lymphomas in nonendemic regions.
“Our aim was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients with NHL and active hepatitis B in France and Italy, where the prevalence of HBV is low,” wrote Marine Lemaitre of the Centre Hospitalier de Versailles in Le Chesnay, France, and colleagues. The findings were published in the Journal of Infection.
The researchers retrospectively studied a cohort of 39 patients with B-cell NHL and active HBV infection. Clinical data was collected from medical records at three hematology centers in France and Italy. The team evaluated clinical characteristics, including histologic subtype of the lymphoma, type of treatment, patient demographics, and prognostic outcomes. In addition, they compared these data with a separate cohort of patients with B-cell NHL and active HCV infection. Among study patients, the median age at lymphoma diagnosis was 59 years (range, 29-88 years), and most were men. The most common subtype of lymphoma was DLBCL (62%), followed by other subtypes (38%), including marginal zone lymphomas, follicular lymphomas, and mantle cell lymphomas. With respect to treatment, 92% of patients with DLBCL were treated with R-CHOP or a similar regimen, while 90% of patients received antivirals, resulting in a complete remission for 75% of patients. At 12-month follow-up, 88% and 87% of patients with DLBCL and other B-cell lymphomas were alive, respectively.
“Patients had predominantly advanced-stage DLBCL, with frequent liver involvement, and frequent long-term hematological responses when they received a combination of immuno-chemotherapy and antiviral treatment,” the researchers explained. They also noted that extra-nodal involvement was frequently seen in both HBV- and HCV-associated NHL.
“Additional studies are needed to explore the lymphomagenesis of [these] association[s],” they concluded.
No funding sources were reported. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.
SOURCE: Lemaitre M et al. J Infect. 2019 Dec 14. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2019.12.005.