Virologic Clearance Of Hepatitis C Is Associated With Improved Outcomes In African American Patients With Lymphoma

Background: Association of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and B-cell non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (B-NHL) is well-established. Directly-acting antiviral HCV therapy (DAA) results in very high rates of sustained viral response (SVR) and HCV cure. Studies of the impact of successful antiviral therapy on lymphoma outcomes in HCV-infected patients can have important implications for patient management and for understanding of the biology of different lymphomas. The strongest evidence of positive impact of HCV antiviral therapy on lymphoma regression is available for indolent lymphomas, especially marginal zone lymphoma. Impact of antiviral therapy on HCV-associated aggressive B-NHL is still under investigation. Furthermore, there is no data on outcomes for HCV-associated B-NHL in African-American (AA) patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate lymphoma characteristics and outcomes in HCV-associated B-NHL, in a predominantly AA population.