Hepatitis C Virus & MALT Lymphoma

Comments:
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) & MALT Lymphoma: HCV infects both hepatocytes and lymphocytes and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of both hepatocellular carcinoma as well as B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, including extranodal marginal zone lymphomas (EMZL) of MALT type (MALT lymphoma).

Evidence of HCV infection is seen in about one-third of EMZL patients. Cases where lymphoma regressed after antiviral treatment have been documented. EMZL in HCV-infected patients usually occurs in non-gastric sites such as lacrimal gland and salivary glands. The pathogenetic mechanisms in HCV-induced EMZL include direct oncogenic effect of virally-coded proteins and virus-driven immune response.

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