Chronic viral hepatitis and risk of lymphoid malignancies: A retrospective twelve-year population-based cohort study in Côte d’Or, France

BackgroundThe association between hepatitis C infection and lymphoid malignancies is still a matter of debate. The hypothesis of a relationship between hepatitis B and lymphoid neoplasms is more recent and has been far less thoroughly explored.AimThe aim of this study was to evaluate the association between hepatitis C and B infections and B cell non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin lymphomas.MethodsWe took advantage of the co-existence in the French administrative area of Côte d’Or of two specialized registries – one for viral hepatitis and one for haematological diseases – to conduct a population-based, cohort study covering a 12-year period. The databases were anonymized and then linked using a probabilistic model.ResultsThere were 8234 person-years at risk in the hepatitis C cohort and 2784 in the hepatitis B cohort. We found 6 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the hepatitis C cohort, resulting in an overall adjusted standardized incidence ratio of 3.42 (CI: 1.25–7.45). Three of these 6 cases were diffuse-large-B-cell-lymphoma. Cirrhosis was associated with a higher risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the hepatitis C cohort (relative risk = 8.4, p < 0.01, using a Poisson regression). We found one case of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia amongst the hepatitis B carriers.ConclusionHepatitis C carriers are at a higher risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma than the general population. The role of cirrhosis and the association between hepatitis B and lymphoid malignancies deserve to be further assessed.