Be on guard: longer monitoring for very–late onset hepatitis B virus reactivation after chemo-immunotherapy?

Most infected patients are unaware of their past exposure to HBV, which may have resolved B ( b past HBV infection, diagnosed by HB surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative and HB core antibody (HBcAb)-positive serology] or that they have chronic HBV infection [(CHB) HBsAg - positive)]. It is estimated that more than two billion people worldwide have been exposed to hepatitis B virus (HBV), with more than 260 million people actively infected with HBV, making HBV one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma [[1]]. In addition, Dominguez et al., reported a patient with CLL with past HBV infection, who had HBVr almost 5 years after completion of FCR. An alternative pathway is monitoring HBsAg and HBV DNA every 3 months, during anticancer therapy and for up to 12 months after last anticancer therapy, with immediate preemptive antiviral therapy (during anticancer therapy and for up to 12 months after last anticancer therapy), if HBV reactivation is detected [[11]]. [Extracted from the article]