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B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in chronic hepatitis C virus patients: An interesting relationship

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Abstract

Background

An association exists between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), but a causal relationship is not fully established. HCV is a lymphotropic virus that represents a major etiologic agent of mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) type II which is characterized by a low-grade B cell clonal lymphoproliferative disorder that usually progresses to a more aggressive malignant lymphoma. This study assessed the role of cryoglobulin and B lymphocyte stimulator (BLys) in the pathogenesis of NHL in chronic HCV patients.

Methods

Sixty HCV patients, 30 free of B cell NHL (group I) and 30 with B cell NHL (group II), and 30 healthy controls (group III) were studied. Qualitative cryoglobulin assessment and a quantitative assay for BLys were done.

Results

In group II, BLyS positivity rate was 1.5-fold higher than of group I (p ≤ 0.01). A positive association was found between positivity rate of MC and the level of BLyS (p ≤ 0.01).

Conclusion

High BLyS levels were associated with HCV-associated lymphoproliferative disorder coupled with positive MC.

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Funding source

None.

Conflict of interest

HSH, NAA, AM, EHA, HME-W, and DE have declared that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

The study was performed in a manner to conform with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 and 2008 concerning Human and Animal Rights, and the authors followed the policy concerning Informed Consent as shown on Springer.com.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Alabbasiya, Cairo, 11566, Egypt

    Hassan S. Hamdy, Nadia A. Abdelkader & Enas H. Allam

  2. Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Alabbasiya, Cairo, 11566, Egypt

    Amal Mansour

  3. Department of Clinical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Alabbasiya, Cairo, 11566, Egypt

    Hisham M. El-Wakiel

  4. Department of Clinical Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Alabbasiya, Cairo, 11566, Egypt

    Dina Elshenawy

Authors
  1. Hassan S. Hamdy
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  2. Nadia A. Abdelkader
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  4. Enas H. Allam
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Correspondence to Nadia A. Abdelkader.

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Hamdy, H.S., Abdelkader, N.A., Mansour, A. et al. B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in chronic hepatitis C virus patients: An interesting relationship. Indian J Gastroenterol 34, 127–134 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12664-015-0549-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12664-015-0549-4

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