Abstract
Occult hepatitis B (OBI) is caused by a persistent low-level replication of HBV. Like overt HBV infection, OBI can be associated with the integration of HBV sequences into the host genome and has a substantial clinical relevance for patients who are severely immunosuppressed for long durations. We present the case of a patient with a diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and OBI who developed a hepatocellular carcinoma with a fulminant clinical course following the administration of rituximab plus CHOP.
Highlights
Worldwide, chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the primary cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and is considered one of the ten leading causes of death [1]
We present the case of a patient with a diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and OBI (HbsAg, Hbc, and antiHBs negative) who developed a hepatocellular carcinoma with a fulminant clinical course following the administration of Rituximab plus CHOP
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection with detectable circulating hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is a common cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in approximately 60% of the world’s HCC cases; in addition apparently unidentifiable causes for HCC are frequently HBV related as pointed out in two recent studies which demonstrated that patients with OBI can still develop advanced liver diseases and HCC [3, 6]
Summary
Occult hepatitis B (OBI) is caused by a persistent low-level replication of HBV. Like overt HBV infection, OBI can be associated with the integration of HBV sequences into the host genome and has a substantial clinical relevance for patients who are severely immunosuppressed for long durations.
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