High prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in patients with aggressive B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in China

We retrospectively analyzed a large study to investigate the association of hepatitis B virus (HBV) with aggressive B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (aggressive B-NHL) in China, where HBV is endemic. HBV was present in 39 aggressive B-NHL patients (10.46%), 13 indolent B-NHL patients (5.09%), 12 multiple myeloma (MM) patients (3.67%), and 5 solitary plasmacytoma (SP) patients (6.67%). HBV infection was significantly associated with increased risks for aggressive B-NHL (P < 0.01). HBV seems to have a very important role in the pathogenesis of aggressive B-NHL in China.