Prevalence of hepatitis C virus and GB-C virus infection among patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: A case-control study of the International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group

Background In regions with high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) thefrequency of this infection is higher in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma(B-NHL). Patients with HCV infection frequently show co-infectionswith GBV-C (previously named hepatitis G virus) and some studies have suggestedthe presence of higher incidence of GBV-C infection in patients withB-NHL.Aim Pilot study designed to test the feasibility of a future international prospectivestudy for the evaluation of the association between HCV and/orGBV-C and B-NHL in different geographic areas