Evaluating the role of the hepatitis C virus in the pathogenesis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Egyptian patients

Abstract

Abstract Background Hepatitis C is an infection caused by a virus that attacks the liver and leads to inflammation. Several studies from Europe have reported a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It has been suggested that HCV plays a role in the pathogenesis of B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (B-NHL). The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of HCV infection in patients with B-NHL in the Egyptian population and to compare it with apparently healthy volunteers (as a control group). Patients and methods The current study was carried out on 50 patients diagnosed with B-NHL (as a patient group) as well as 35 healthy individuals (as a control group). HCV status was evaluated by the detection of anti-HCV antibodies using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique as well as the detection of HCV RNA by a reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR). Results In terms of the results of anti-HCV antibodies by ELISA, 26 of 50 patients (52%) were positive in patients with B-NHL compared with 10 of 35 cases (28.6%) in the control group (P =0.0541). HCV RNA detection by RT-PCR was positive in 30 of 50 patients (60%) with B-cell lymphoma compared with 15 of 35 patients (42.9%) in the control group (P = 0.1823). Conclusion In conclusion, the results of our study show that there is a higher incidence of HCV infection in B-NHL patients compared with apparently healthy individuals. This supports the suspected role of HCV in the pathogenesis and etiology of B-NHL.