The association between hepatitis C virus infection, genetic polymorphisms of oxidative stress genes and B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma risk in Egypt.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been postulated to be an etiological agent for lymphoid malignancies. Polymorphisms in oxidative stress genes as; superoxide dismutase (SOD2), glutathione peroxidase (GPX1), catalase (CAT), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) may influence non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) risk. HCV screening and polymorphisms in these five genes coding for antioxidant enzymes were studied in 100 Egyptian patients with B cell-NHL and 100 controls to clarify the association between HCV infection, oxidative stress genes polymorphisms and B cell-NHL risk. A significantly higher prevalence of HCV infection was detected among NHL patients relative to controls and this carried a 14-fold increased NHL risk (odds ratio (OR)=14.3, 95% confidence interval (CI)=5.4-38.3, p<0.0001). GPX1 and MPO genetic polymorphisms conveyed increase in B-NHL risk (OR=3.3, 95% CI=1.4-7.4, p=0.004 and OR=4.4, 95% CI=1.3-14.2, p=0.009 respectively). Further analyses stratified by HCV infection revealed that concomitant HCV infection and GPX1 gene polymorphism had a synergetic effect on NHL risk with an OR of 15 (95%CI=2.2-69.6, p<0.0001). In addition, combined HCV infection and MPO gene polymorphisms had a pronounced NHL risk (OR=9.2, 95%CI=2.5-33.9, p<0.0001). SOD2, CAT and NOS2 genetic polymorphisms were not found to confer increased NHL risk. This study revealed that HCV infection is a risk factor for NHL in Egypt. Polymorphisms in GPX1 and MPO genes may influence NHL risk in HCV infected Egyptian patients. Larger scale studies are warranted to establish this genetic susceptibility for NHL.