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Routine prophylactic antiviral treatment is recommended for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive cancer patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy, in whom hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation and hepatitis flare are common. Although cancer patients with resolved HBV infection (i.e., HBsAg-negative but anti-surface or anti-core antibody–positive) remain at increased risk for these conditions, incidence, severity, and outcomes are unknown.
In a multicenter, prospective study in Taiwan, researchers estimated rates of HBV reactivation (>10-fold increase in HBV DNA) and hepatitis flare (>3-fold increase in alanine aminotransferase [ALT] that exceeded 100 IU/mL) in 150 adult patients with newly diagnosed non-Hodgkin lymphoma and resolve…