ABSTRACT
Introduction 126 Hepatitis C and B virus infection 126 Search strategy for identification of studies 127 Inclusion criteria 127 Assessment of study quality 127 Statistical methods 129 Hepatitis C virus infection and non-Hodgkin lymphoma 129 Sites of involvement and histologic subtype of non-Hodgkin 129
lymphoma and hepatitis C virus infection Hepatitis C virus infection and other 130
hemolymphopoietic neoplasms Hepatitis B virus infection and lymphomas 130 Mechanisms of hepatitis viruses: pathogenic 130
effect on lymphomas
Summary of results on hepatitis virus infection 133 and non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Helicobacter pylori 134 Association between Helicobacter pylori and 134
lymphomas Pathogenesis of gastric MALT lymphoma and effect of 135
H. pylori eradication on MALT lymphoma Borrelia burgdorferi and cutaneous lymphomas 136 Chlamydia infections and lymphomas 136 Key points 137 References 138
Lymphoid neoplasms are malignant diseases that arise from the lymphoid tissues.1 As they are heterogeneous, in terms of histologic characteristics and anatomic site(s) of involvement, and have relatively low incidence rates (Chapter 3), the identification of the causes of lymphomas has turned out to be difficult. Several possible causative factors have been reported, including immunodeficiency, and, possibly, exposure to pesticides and radiation, smoking habits and several aspects of diet (Chapter 4).2,3 An association between certain infectious agents, e.g. Epstein-Barr virus, human T cell leukemia virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and lymphoid neoplasms, is well established and has important implications from a prevention point of view (Chapters 6 and 7).4
