RESUMO
It has been hypothesized that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), might be involved in the pathogenesis of malignant lymphoma. Based on this observation, we sought to determine the prevalence of EBV, HCV, and HIV, among patients with lymphoma in Lopburi Cancer Center. Seventy-five patients with histopathologically confirmed lymphoma, and 64 controls, were recruited into the study. Serum samples were examined for IgA antibodies against EBV capsid antigen using indirect immunofluorescence assay. HCV and HIV infections were investigated through the detection of anti-HCV and anti-HIV antibodies. The prevalence of EBV, HCV, and HIV infections among the cases were 21.3, 1.6, and 0%, respectively. Among the controls, the prevalence of EBV was 9.4%, while no HCV or HIV infection was found. The prevalence of EBV infection also differed among the lymphoma subtypes; EBV infection was found in 50% of Hodgkin disease (HD) cases, 33.3% in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and 17% in diffuse B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In conclusion, EBV infection seems to play an important role in the development of lymphoma. No associations between HCV or HIV infection and lymphoma were found. The finding of this study is only preliminary; further studies with larger sample sizes are needed, to validate these results. (Thai Cancer J 2010;30:24-31)
RESUMO
Although a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) patients had been reported, subsequent epidemiological studies conducted to examine a casual association between HCV and NHL have provided inconsistent results across studies. The risk of lymphoma associated with the detection of HCV infection was estimated. Two hundred and sixty nine cases with histopathologically confirmed NHL and 334 controls were included during 2006-2007 in 4 cancer centers in Thailand. All participants underwent a personal interview and blood sampling. Unconditional logistic regression were used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for NHL associated with HCV. HCV infection were detected in 6/269 (2.2%) among cases and in 6/334 (1.8%) among control subjects. HCV infection showed no association with NHL, OR=1.22 (95% CI=0.38-3.94).In conclusion, no direct correlation can be deduced between NHL and HCV infection in our study.