Brief Article
Copyright ©2011 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Nov 27, 2011; 3(11): 278-284
Published online Nov 27, 2011. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v3.i11.278
Hepatitis C virus-related B cell subtypes in non Hodgkin's lymphoma
Adriano M Pellicelli, Massimo Marignani, Valerio Zoli, Mario Romano, Aldo Morrone, Lorenzo Nosotti, Giuseppe Barbaro, Antonio Picardi, Umberto Vespasiani Gentilucci, Daniele Remotti, Cecilia D'Ambrosio, Caterina Furlan, Fabrizio Mecenate, Ettore Mazzoni, Ignazio Majolino, Roberto Villani, Arnaldo Andreoli, Giorgio Barbarini
Adriano M Pellicelli, Cecilia D'Ambrosio, Roberto Villani, Arnaldo Andreoli, Liver Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo Forlanini, Circonvallazione Gianicolense 87, 00149 Rome, Italy
Massimo Marignani, Department of Digestive and Liver Disease, Azienda Ospedaliera Sant’Andrea, Via Grottarossa 1035/1039, 000189 Rome, Italy
Valerio Zoli, Ignazio Majolino, Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo Forlanini, Circonvallazione Gianicolense 87, 00149 Rome, Italy
Mario Romano, Liver Unit, Ospedale Sandro Pertini, Via dei Monti Tiburtini 385, 00157 Rome, Italy
Aldo Morrone, Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo Forlanini, Circonvallazione Gianicolense, 87, 00149 Rome, Italy
Lorenzo Nosotti, Medicine of Migration, National Institute for Migrant Health and Poverty, Via di S. Gallicano 25/a, 00153 Rome, Italy
Giuseppe Barbaro, Department of Medical Pathophysiology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy
Antonio Picardi, Umberto Vespasiani Gentilucci, Liver Unit, Campus Biomedico University, Via Álvaro del Portillo 21, 00128 Rome, Italy
Daniele Remotti, Histopathology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo Forlanini, Circonvallazione Gianicolense 87, 00149 Rome, Italy
Caterina Furlan, Department of Infectious and Tropical Disease, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy
Fabrizio Mecenate, Liver Unit, Ospedale Villa Betania, Via Niccolò Piccolomini 27, 00165 Rome, Italy
Ettore Mazzoni, Liver Unit, Policlinico Casilino, Via Casilina 1049, 00169 Rome, Italy
Giorgio Barbarini, Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Policlinico San Matteo P.zzale Golgi 2, 2710 Pavia, Italy
Author contributions: Pellicelli AM provided the concept, design, manuscript editing, literature search, collection of all materials, definition of intellectual concept and interpretation of data; Marignani M contributed the concept, manuscript review and definition of intellectual concept. Zoli V did the data acquisition and literature search; Romano M and Nosotti L did the data acquisition and manuscript review; Morrone A contributed the concept; Barbaro G performed the statistical analysis and interpretation of data; Picardi A and Vespasiani Gentilucci U provided the data acquisition; Remotti D provided the data acquisition and histopathology analysis; D'Ambrosio C and Villani R provided the data acquisition and review of the literature; Andreoli A, Barbarini G and Majolino I contributed the concept, manuscript editing and review of the literature; Furlan C, Mazzoni E and Mecenate F has provided the manuscript preparation and data collection.
Correspondence to: Adriano M Pellicelli, MD, Liver Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo Forlanini,Via Terni 97, 00182 Rome, Italy. adriano.pellicelli@tiscali.it
Telephone: +39-06-58704369 Fax:+39-06-58704667
Received: March 12, 2011
Revised: October 8, 2011
Accepted: November 8, 2011
Published online: November 27, 2011
Abstract

AIM: To evaluate if indolent B cell-non Hodgkin’s lymphoma (B-NHL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive patients could have different biological and clinical characteristics requiring different management strategies.

METHODS: A group of 24 HCV related B-NHL patients (11 indolent, 13 DLBCL) in whom the biological and clinical characteristics were described and confronted. Patients with DLBCL were managed with the standard of care of treatment. Patients with indolent HCV-related B-NHL were managed with antiviral treatment pegylated interferon plus ribavirin and their course observed. The outcomes of the different approaches were compared.

RESULTS: Patients with DLBCL had a shorter duration of HCV infection and a higher prevalence of HCV genotype 1 compared to patients with indolent B-NHL in which HCV genotype 2 was the more frequent genotype. Five of the 9 patients with indolent HCV-related B-NHL treated with only antiviral therapy, achieved a complete response of their onco-haematological disease (55%). Seven of the 13 DLBCL patients treated with immunochemotheraphy obtained a complete response (54%).

CONCLUSION: HCV genotypes and duration of HCV infection differed between B-NHL subtypes. Indolent lymphomas can be managed with antiviral treatment, while DLBCL is not affected by the HCV infection.

Keywords: Hepatitis C virus infection, Diffuse large B cell lymphoma, Indolent lymphoma, Pegylated interferon, Lymphomagenesis