Role of virological serum markers in patients with both hepatitis B virus infection and diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma

Background Causality between hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) was reported in various studies. However, the implication of different virological serum markers of HBV infection in patients with both HBV infection and DLBCL is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of HBV markers on overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) in patients with both HBV infection and DLBCL. Methods In this study, patients (n = 40) diagnosed with both HBV infection and DLBCL were identified between 2000 and 2017. Six patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and/or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co‐infection were excluded from this study. We retrospectively analyzed patients’ demographic characteristics, treatment, and the prognostic impact of different HBV markers at first diagnosis of DLBCL (HBsAg, anti‐HBs, HBeAg, anti‐HBe, and HBV‐DNA) on OS and PFS. Results The majority of patients (n = 21, 62%) had advanced disease stage (III/IV) at diagnosis. In the first‐line therapy, 24 patients (70%) were treated with R‐CHOP regimen (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone). HBeAg positive patients had a trend toward inferior OS and PFS compared with HBeAg negative patients. Anti‐HBe positive patients had a statistically significant better OS and PFS compared with anti‐HBe negative group (both P