Hepatitis B and hepatitis C viral infections in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

BACKGROUND

Whether chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections contribute to the pathogenesis and⁄or course of chronic lymphocytic leukemia is unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To document the prevalences of HBV and HCV infections in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients, and to determine whether infected patients experience more aggressive disease than those without infection.

METHODS

Patient sera were screened for antibodies to HBV core antigen and HCV (anti-HCV) using ELISA; both sera and peripheral blood lymphocytes were further tested (regardless of antibody results) for HBV-DNA and HCV-RNA using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Prognostic markers for chronic lymphocytic leukemia included Rai stage, IgVH mutational status, β2-microglobulin levels, Zap-70 and CD38 status.

RESULTS

Fourteen of 222 (6.3%) chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients and two of 72 (2.8%) healthy controls tested positive for previous or ongoing HBV infection (OR 2.4 [95% CI 0.5 to 7.7]; P=0.25) while four of 222 (1.8%) chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients and one of 72 (1.4%) controls tested positive for HCV markers (OR 1.3 [95% CI 0.2 to 6.4]; P=0.81). The levels and distribution of the various indicators of aggressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia disease were similar among HBV- and HCV-infected and uninfected patients. Survival times were also similar. Occult HBV and HCV infection (HBV-DNA or HCV-RNA positive in the absence of diagnostic serological markers) were uncommon in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients (0.5% and 1.8%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study do not support the hypothesis that HBV or HCV infections play an important role in the pathogenesis or course of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.