Analysis of hepatitis B virus infection in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Objective To investigate the association between non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and hepatitis B virus (HBV). Methods The serum HBV markers in 305 NHL patients who were diagnosed in the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from January 2014 to December 2016 was detected by automatic chemiluminescence immunoassay. The infection rate of HBV in NHL patients was compared with that in 312 colorectal cancer patients and the national general population (81 775 peoples). Results The positive rates of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) and hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) in 305 patients of NHL were compared with the general population [19.0% (58/305) vs. 7.2% (5 888/81 775), 44.3% (135/305) vs. 50.1% (40 969/81 775), 45.9% (140/305) vs. 34.1% (27 885/81 775)], and the differences were statistically significant (χ2 values were 63.1, 4.1, 18.8, all P 0.05). Among 133 NHL patients, the HBV DNA positive rate was 33.1% (44/133), and 74.1% (43/58) in 58 cases of HBsAg-positive NHL, while 4.2% (1/24) in 24 cases of HBsAg-negative but HBcAb-positive NHL. Conclusions The infection rate of HBV in NHL patients is higher than that in colorectal cancer patients and the general population, in which the occult HBV infection is worthy of much attention. The positive rate of HBsAg in T-cell NHL patients is lower than that in B-cell NHL patients. For NHL patients with HBV infection, anti-HBV treatment to prevent reactivation of the virus should be given before the anti-tumor treatment. Key words: Lymphoma, non-Hodgkin; Hepatitis B virus; Intestinal neoplasms