Lymphocyte/monocyte ratio and cycles of rituximab-containing therapy are risk factors for hepatitis B virus reactivation in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and resolved hepatitis B

Reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) following rituximab (R)-containing chemotherapy for lymphoma is a major concern, and risk factors remain to be defined. We enrolled 190 patients diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and resolved hepatitis B, receiving first-line R-CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone)-based regimens. Twenty-seven patients (14.2%) developed HBV reactivation during a median follow-up of 23.6 months. Two independent risk factors were identified: cycles of rituximab > 8 (hazard ratio [HR], 2.797; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.184-6.612) and lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR) < 2.50 (HR, 2.733; 95% CI, 1.122-6.657). Two-year overall survival in patients with or without HBV reactivation was 53.8% vs. 77.6% (p = 0.025). Regarding the negative impact on clinical outcome, patients at super high risk of HBV reactivation, including those receiving more than eight cycles of R and having low LMR at diagnosis, may warrant first priority for antiviral prophylaxis.