Hepatitis B seroprevalence in hematological oncology patients

Objectives: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is still a serious public health problem today. Many factors such as frequent blood transfusion, hemodialysis, sexual contact, sterilization in surgical procedures, etc. are involved in the transmission of hepatitis B virus. In our study, HBV seroprevalence was evaluated retrospectively in order to provide vaccination of anti-HBs negative patients and to determine HBV prophylaxis in patients with hematological malignancy. Methods: A total of 499 patients were included in the study. HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBc IgG, anti-HDV, HBV DNA values were measured by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Liason, Diasorin, Italy) with Real-Time PCR (Cobas-Tagman, Roche Switzerland) and recorded. The obtained datas were evaluated by SPSS for Windows 15.00 statistical program. A value of p <0.05 was accepted as a statistical significance value. Results: HBsAg positivity was found to be 3.4% (n = 17) in all patients. Appropriate treatment regimens were started to patients with HBsAg (+). There were 166 (33.3%) patients with anti-HBs (+). One hundred nineteen (23.8%) patients had anti-HBc IgG (+), 40 (33.6%) of them were started a prophylactic treatment regimen. Anti-HBs positivity were reported after vaccination in 48 (16.8%) patients. Occult hepatitis have not been detected in patients with anti-HBc IgG positivity. Conclusions: As a result of this study, anti-HBs negative patients with hematological malignancies were vaccinated. Patients and physicians should be informed about vaccination and hepatitis serology controls of hematological malignancy and other immunosuppressed patients. Sensitivity in this context should be increased in terms of prophylactic treatments. 

___

  • 1. Deveci Ö, Tekin A, Günbay SS, Kılıç D, Kaygusuz S, Ağalar C, et al. [Evaluation of HBsAg, anti-HCV, anti-HIV and VDRL test results in blood donors]. J Clin Exp Invest 2011;2:416-9. [Article in Turkish]
  • 2. Lavanchy D. Worldwide epidemiology of HBV infection, disease burden, and vaccine prevention. J Clin Virol 2005;34 Suppl 1:S1-3.
  • 3. Greeley RD, Semple S, Thompson ND, High P, Rudowski E, Handschur E, et al. Hepatitis B outbreak associated with a hematology-oncology office practice in New Jersey, 2009. Am J Infect Control 2001;39:663-70.
  • 4. Utkan G, Azap A, Muallaoğlu S, Tokluoğlu S, Durnalı AG, Arslan ÜY, et al. [Hepatitis B and C seroprevalence in cancer patıents: a case control study]. Int J Hematol Oncol 2006;16:103-7. [Article in Turkish]
  • 5. European Association for the Study of the Liver. EASL 2017 Clinical Practice Guidelines on the management of hepatitis B virus infection. J Hepatol 2017;67:370-98.
  • 6. Turkey Viral Hepatitis Diagnosis and Treatment Guide 2017. Available at: http://www.vhsd.org/tr/page/turkiye-viral-hepatitliler-tani-ve-tedavi-kilavuzu-2-7.html May 2017. [Article in Turkish]
  • 7. Uptodate 2017 Hepatitis B virus reactivation associated with immunosuppressive therapy. Available at: www.uptodate.com/contents/hepatitis-b-virus-reactivation-associated-with-immunosuppressive-therapy Dec 18, 2017.
  • 8. Tosun S. [The changing viral hepatitis epidemiology in our country]. Ankem Derg 2013;27(suppl 2):128-34.
  • 9. İnci A, Okay M, Güven D. [HBsAg, Anti-HBs, Anti-HCV and Anti-HIV seroprevalence of the patients applied to Artvin State Hospital]. Viral Hepatit Derg 2013;19:41-4. [Article in Turkish]
  • 10. Şardaş OS, Tekeli E, Koç H, Balık İ, Dağcı Ş, Ertural F. [The prevalence of the hepatitis B virus markers in the haematologıc-ongologıc patients who had frequently received transfusion]. Turkiye Klinikleri J Med Res 1990;8:171-4. [Article in Turkish]
  • 11. Sarı R, Özkan Hİ, Sevinç A, Aydoğdu İ. [Seropositivity of hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses in blood and blood products in transfused and non-transfused patients with hematological malignancies]. Turgut Özal Tıp Merkezi Dergisi 2000;7:109-12. [Article in Turkish]
  • 12. Kose S, Olmezoglu A, Gozaydin A, Ece G. Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C among oncology patients in Turkey. J Health Popul Nutr 2011;29:652-5.
  • 13. Yalçıntaş Arslan Ü, Önder FO, Uncu D, Tokluoğlu S, Gök Durnalı A, Çelenkoğlu G, et al. [Hepatitis B and C Virüs Seroprevalance of the Patients vvith Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Single Center Experience]. Acta Oncologica Turcica 2009;42:27-9. [Article in Turkish]
  • 14. Huang B, Li J, Zhou Z, Zheng D, Liu J, Chen M. High prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in multiple myeloma. Leuk Lymphoma 2012;53: 270-4.
  • 15. Samal J, Kandpal M, Vivekanandan P. Molecular mechanisms underlying occult hepatitis B virus infection. Clin Microbiol Rev 2012;25:142-63.
  • 16. Baghbanian M, Halvani M, Roghani HS, Lofti MH, Yazdi MF, Vahedian-Ardakani HA. Prevalence of occult hepatıtıs B infectıon in Iranian cancer patients before chemotherapy treatment. Arq Gastroenterol 2016;53:175-9.