(HealthDay News) — Guidelines for hepatitis B virus (HBV) screening among patients with cancer have been updated, according to a special article published online May 11 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Jessica P. Hwang, MD, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center in Houston, and colleagues provide an updated provisional
clinical opinion based on the American Society of Clinical Oncology
panel consensus for HBV screening.
The authors note that patients should be screened for HBV infection
before starting anti-CD20 therapy or hematopoietic cell transplantation.
Patients with risk factors for HBV infection should also be screened.
Screening should include hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and
hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc), using the total anti-HBc or
anti-HBc immunoglobulin G test. Antiviral therapy for
HBsAg-positive/anti-HBc-positive patients should be started before or
simultaneously with cancer therapy; HBsAg-negative/anti-HBc-positive
patients should be monitored for reactivation with HBV DNA and alanine
aminotransferase levels and treated with antivirals if reactivation
occurs. For HBsAg-negative/anti-HBc-positive patients anticipating
cancer therapies associated with a high risk of reactivation, clinicians
can initiate antivirals, or they can monitor patients and initiate
on-demand antivirals. HBV screening is not supported for patients who
have neither HBV risk factors nor anticipate cancer therapy associated
with a high risk of reactivation.
Read more..Labels: cancer screening, screening guidelines