Characteristic Pattern of Reactivation of Hepatitis B Virus during Chemotherapy for Solid Cancers

Hagiwara S, Sakurai T, Nishina S, Tanaka K, Ikeda M, Ueshima K, Minami Y, Inoue T, Yada N, Kitai S, Takita M, Nagai T, Hayaishi S, Arizumi T, Park AM, Munakata H, Nishida N, Kudo M

Objective: A number of studies have reported reactivation of hepatitis B during intensive immunosuppressive therapy such as cases of hematological malignancy, whereas little has been reported for characteristics of reactivation triggered by chemotherapy for solid cancer.

Methods: A total of 130 patients underwent chemotherapy for treatments of common solid cancer between May 2011 and May 2012 at Kinki University Hospital. Among them, 27 patients were suspected for a past infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV), showing positive for hepatitis B core antibody or surface antibody but negative for hepatitis B surface antigen, and were eligible for this study.

Results: Hepatitis B reactivation was observed in 2 of 27 cases (7.4%). The duration between the start of chemotherapy and increase of serum HBV load was 30 days in both cases.

Conclusions: We reported the 2 cases of hepatitis B reactivation receiving chemotherapy for solid cancer in terms of patterns and characteristics of reactivation. Accumulation of such cases will help in clarifying the clinical importance of hepatitis B reactivation during treatment of solid malignancies.