To prospectively evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) positivity and study the evolution of HBV profile during cancer chemotherapy, serum HBV markers and liver biochemistry were determined in 1008 of 1402 (72%) cancer patients admitted in our Unit and in all 920 (91%) who received chemotherapy. We found that 54 (5.3%) were HBsAg carriers while 443 (44%) had at least one HBV marker positive. Of the latter, 405 (91%) were HBcAb+ve, 321 (72%) HBsAb+ve and 212 (48%) HBeAb+ve. No patient was HBeAg+ve. Among 920 chemotherapy receivers, 374 (41%) were HBcAb+ve, 280 (30%) HBsAb+ve and 178 (19%) HBeAb+ve. Fifty (5.4%) were HBsAg carriers (versus 0.6% in Greek blood donors). All 50 were systematically screened for HBsAg and HBsAb status throughout chemotherapy, during follow-up or until their death, and liver biochemistry was performed before each chemotherapy course. Stable antigenaemia was observed in 43/50 (86%) while 7/50 (14%) developed clinical and/or biochemical hepatitis. Six of these seven developed serum anti-HBs antibodies with an associated decrease of serum HBsAg titres. We conclude that reactivation of HBV infection during chemotherapy is not rare (14%), while disappearance of HBs antigenaemia is neither a frequent nor usually a permanent phenomenon. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaign

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A postembedding method is described to localize antigens specific for various paramyxoviruses in sections of cells and tissues that have been fixed and embedded in epoxy resins for conventional electron microscopy. Viral antigens were localized in CV-1 cell cultures infected with simian virus 5 (SV5), brains of suckling hamsters inoculated with either neuroadapted mumps virus or hamster-adapted measles virus, and brains of adult mice infected with Sendai (parainfluenza I) virus. Both 1-micrometer-thick and thin (gold) tissue sections were etched with alcoholic sodium hydroxide-solution and then treated following either the unlabeled antibody peroxidase-antiperoxidase or the biotinylated protein A:avidin peroxidase procedure. Primary reagents included immunoglobulin isolated from hyperimmune rabbit sera with specificity to the major viral components of SV5 or SV5 hemagglutinin-neuraminidase, to whole mumps virus or mumps virus nucleocapsids, and to whole Sendai virus. Crude rabbit anti-Sendai virus antiserum and whole human subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) sera were used in parallel. The results indicate that tissues processed for conventional evaluation by electron microscopy may be suitable, within limits, for postembedding immunocytochemical staining of paramyxovirus antigens.