Widespread vs. Selective Screening for Hepatitis B Infection Prior to Chemotherapy

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To derive a selective screening strategy that optimizes the identification of positive hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection cases in comparison to widespread screening of new cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine the prevalence of risk factors among patients with unknown HBV infection status as well as among patients known to have HBV infection, determine the incidence of reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, rates of disruptions in cancer therapy, co-infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and mortality rates.

OUTLINE:

Patients with unknown HBV infection status undergo 3 HBV screening tests (hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg], hepatitis B core antibody [anti-HBc], and hepatitis B surface antibody [anti-HBs]) before chemotherapy. Patients with known HBV infection status undergo either HBsAg or anti-HBc screening tests if there is no evidence of HBV testing in the last 3 months. All patients complete HBV risk assessment survey.

After completion of study, patients with HBV infection are followed up every 3 months for at least 12 months after completion of chemotherapy or end of study period.