Australia antigen and anti-australia antibody in lymphomas, leukemias and breast cancer

ABSTRACT

The sera of 90 lymphoma and 60 leukemic patients were studied for the presence of either HBsAg or anti-HBs using counter-electrophoresis. In addition, the study included 40 breast cancer patients and 20 normal healthy subjects as controls. The findings indicated a close and specific association between hepatitis B infection and leukemia. The frequency of exposure in leukemia patients was 17% compared to 5% in the other groups. Acute leukemia cases with positive HBsAg or anti-HBs reactions indicated a group with very bad prognosis. The causal relationship of hepatitis B virus to certain types of leukemias was discussed