Background and objectives: During the last decade an epidemiological association between hepatitis C virus (HCV) and B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (B-LPD) has been reported; the same association has not been observed for Hodgkin's disease (HD). Hepatitis G virus (HGV) shares genetic and biological features with HCV, thus it might also be involved in lymphomagenesis.
Design and methods: The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of HCV and HGV infection in patients at diagnosis of B-LPD or HD.
Results: We tested 227 consecutive untransfused patients (127 with B-LPD and 100 with HD) and 110 healthy controls. The prevalence of HCV infection was significantly higher in B-LPD patients than in controls (17.3% vs. 1.8%, p<0.002 ), whereas it was the same in HD patients as in controls. In contrast, the prevalence of HGV was significantly higher in patients, both those with B-LPD (7.8% vs. 0.9%, p<0.03) and those with HD (13% vs. 0.9%, p<0.002), than in controls. Among the various B-LPD tested, HGV infection was more frequent in B-NHL (11.5%).
Interpretation and conclusions: Our data support the hypothesis that HGV infection may play a role in lymphomagenesis and that this role is different and separate from that of HCV.