Lamivudine and Hepatitis B Reactivation
Authors: Chiun Hsu, Ann-Lii Cheng, Pei-Jer Chen
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2009)

Letters21 July 2009Lamivudine and Hepatitis B ReactivationChiun Hsu, MD, PhD, Ann-Lii Cheng, MD, PhD, and Pei-Jer Chen, MD, PhDChiun Hsu, MD, PhDFrom National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.Search for more papers by this author, Ann-Lii Cheng, MD, PhDFrom National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.Search for more papers by this author, and Pei-Jer Chen, MD, PhDFrom National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-151-2-200907210-00014 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We read with great interest the systematic review by Loomba and colleagues (1) for chemotherapy-induced hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in patients with cancer who tested positive for HBV surface antigen. However, some of the information quoted in the article needs clarification.In Table 1 of the article, regarding the use of corticosteroids as an important risk factor for chemotherapy-induced HBV reactivation (2), our study (3) and the study by Lau and colleagues (4) were mistakenly categorized as either “not reported” or “not using corticosteroids.” In fact, both studies enrolled patients with lymphoma, and corticosteroids were an ...References1. Loomba R, Rowley A, Wesley R, Liang TJ, Hoofnagle JH, Pucino F, et al. Systematic review: the effect of preventive lamivudine on hepatitis B reactivation during chemotherapy. Ann Intern Med. 2008;148:519-28. [PMID: 18378948] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Cheng AL, Hsiung CA, Su IJ, Chen PJ, Chang MC, Tsao CJ, et al; Lymphoma Committee of Taiwan Cooperative Oncology Group. Steroid-free chemotherapy decreases risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in HBV-carriers with lymphoma. Hepatology. 2003;37:1320-8. [PMID: 12774010] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Hsu C, Hsiung CA, Su IJ, Hwang WS, Wang MC, Lin SF, et al. A revisit of prophylactic lamivudine for chemotherapy-associated hepatitis B reactivation in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a randomized trial. Hepatology. 2008;47:844-53. [PMID: 18302293] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Lau GK, Yiu HH, Fong DY, Cheng HC, Au WY, Lai LS, et al. Early is superior to deferred preemptive lamivudine therapy for hepatitis B patients undergoing chemotherapy. Gastroenterology. 2003;125:1742-9. [PMID: 14724827] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Lok AS, McMahon BJ. Chronic hepatitis B. Hepatology. 2007;45:507-39. [PMID: 17256718] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoSystematic Review: The Effect of Preventive Lamivudine on Hepatitis B Reactivation during Chemotherapy Rohit Loomba , Ayana Rowley , Robert Wesley , T. Jake Liang , Jay H. Hoofnagle , Frank Pucino , and Gyorgy Csako Lamivudine and Hepatitis B Reactivation Rohit Loomba , Frank Pucino , and Gyorgy Csako Metrics 21 July 2009Volume 151, Issue 2Page: 141KeywordsAntiviral therapyAntiviralsChemotherapyClinical trialsCohort studiesHepatitisLymphomaProphylaxisRisk managementSystematic reviews ePublished: 21 July 2009 Issue Published: 21 July 2009 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...