Whether an association between hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL) risk exists is an open question. In order to provide quantification of the issue, we carried out a meta-analysis of the published data. We identified 4 case-control and 2 nested case-control studies, including a total of 5,396 B-NHL cases. We derived meta-analytic estimates using random-effects models, taking into account the correlation between estimates. The odds radio (OR) of HBV infection in B-NHL when compared with the control population was 2.98 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 2.30-3.86]. There was evidence of statistical heterogeneity among all included studies (I (2) = 65 %, P = 0.01), which disappeared in the subgroup nested case-control studies (I (2) = 0 %, P = 0.49). OR was 2.59 (95 % CI 2.03-3.30) in the random effect model, suggesting a higher prevalence of HBV carrier state in B-NHL than controls. This meta-analysis provides quantitative evidence of a favorable role of HBV infection on B-NHL risk, which needs to be confirmed by experimental and epidemiological studies.

Background: specialized studies on hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and B-NHL (B-cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma) are limited, as well as prophylactic antiviral therapy for B-NHL patients with HBV infection who are receiving anticancer chemotherapy. This study aims to investigate the association between HBV infection and B-NHL, and to evaluate the effect of prophylactic antiviral therapy for HBV-infected B-NHL patients. Study design: A retrospective, case-control study was performed. The study group included 420 patients with B-NHL who were consecutively diagnosed from May 2003 to October 2013 (age range, 14 -71 years), and the control group included 1280 Chinese residents in Guangxi who participated in the Health Survey (age range, 18 -74 years). We compared the prevalence rate of HBV infection and clinic-pathologic characteristics between the two groups. The prevalence rate of HBV infection in our study was 34.7% (146/420), higher than the prevalence rate of 13.9% (178/1280) in the general population (P < 0.001). Among 146 B-NHL patients who received anticancer chemotherapy, 104 patients (71.2%) received prophylactic antiviral therapy. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that HBV may play an important role in development of B-NHL. Entecavir maybe the better antiviral drugs than Lamivudine, and antiviral therapy is maintained more than 6 months that maybe the optimal duration of prophylactic antiviral therapy. But further investigation should be conducted for determination of optimal duration and monitoring of antiviral therapy.