Concomitant diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C virus liver disease: a study of two cases.

Chronic hepatitis C virus HCV infection progresses through liver fibrosis and cirrhosis to hepatocellular carcinoma HCC. It appears to be causally related to B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma since regression after antiviral therapy has been described. Two cases are described of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and HCC arising simultaneously in two patients.

Changing treatment paradigms: hepatitis C virus in HIV-infected patients.

The evaluation of hepatic histology and treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV)/HIV-coinfected patients is rapidly changing. HCV has become an important cause of mortality in HIV-infected patients. Consequently, assessment of liver histology in all coinfected patients is particularly important.

Prognostic significance of hepatitis C virus RNA detection by transcription-mediated amplification with negative polymerase chain reaction during therapy with peginterferon alpha and ribavirin.

The lower limit of detection of most polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA is 50 IU/ml, compared to 5 IU/ml for the transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) method. We retrospectively reviewed 57 patients to assess the predictive value of a positive TMA in the setting of a negative PCR during antiviral therapy. Patients were divided into (1) PCR-/TMA+ (discordant; n=21) and (2) PCR-/TMA-(concordant; n=36).