Efficacy of lamivudine to prevent hepatitis reactivation in hepatitis B virus-infected patients treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The association of hepatitis viruses with non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) is not rare. Several authors have reported an exceeding prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV)1-3 or of hepatitis B virus (HBV)4,5 infection in patients affected by NHL. A sustained increase of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) associated with high levels of HBV viremia (HBV-DNA) 1 to 2 months after the suspension of chemotherapy has been described in patients suffering from NHL and infected by HBV.7,8 Recently, a nucleotide analogue (lamivudine) was shown to be beneficial in HBV-infected patients with signs of active replication.6 The aim of this study was to investigate the role of lamivudine to treat or to prevent hepatitis reactivation in HBV-infected subjects suffering from NHL and undergoing chemotherapy.