Tying HCV to lymphoma
A number of viruses are associated with different subsets of B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, although it is unclear if the viruses are the causative agents, a cofactor in tumor development, or simply bystanders. As yet, successful treatment for these lymphomas has not involved antiviral therapy. However, last week researchers published evidence that anti-hepatitis C virus therapy might be useful in treating splenic lymphoma.
The association of viruses with lymphomas has been known since the early 1960s, but the knowledge has been of little use in the clinic until now. Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from Hopital Necker in Paris last week showed that treatment for HCV caused a complete remission in the majority of the cancer patients studied...