[greenrobin]

Hepatitis C detected prior to stem cell transplant

by greenrobin on Mon Jul 13, 2015 11:46 am

Hi everyone,

My brother had a curve ball pitched this morning by his med team. He is days away from his first Neupogen shot; 3 days ago he learned he tested positive for hepatitis C and it was just confirmed by a second blood test.

I scanned his labs for the past few years, and in 02/2015 his hepatitis profile was negative. Ultrasound and other labs are scheduled for this afternoon.

I see somewhat abstract relationship between hepatitis c and multiple myeloma, but nothing specific here at the Beacon or online.

Does anyone have experience with hepatitis C? Any links to info are very much appreciated.

Thanks

[Raven]

Re: Hepatitis C detected prior to stem cell transplant

by Raven on Mon Jul 13, 2015 12:43 pm

I don't understand. I've had many blood tests over the last 7 to 9 years. All negative for hepatitis. Now after I'm finally getting set for my stem cell transplant, I'm told I've got a minute trace of hepatitis c.

Could this have happened with all the hundreds of needles I've had through chemo and all the many tests I've had? Could my multiple myeloma be sending a false positive?

[JimNY]

Re: Hepatitis C detected prior to stem cell transplant

by JimNY on Mon Jul 13, 2015 5:41 pm

I don't seen how having a trace sign of hepatitis C would in any way suggest that your multiple myeloma diagnosis was due to a false positive. I don't recall your lab results at diagnosis, but there are clearly defined criteria for a myeloma diagnosis, and they include clear signs of monoclonal proteins (heavy chains and/or light chains), which have nothing to do with hepatitis. So I don't think that's the issue here.

It's possible that the signs of hepatitis C that you're seeing are the result of an infection you received as a result of treatment. As I understand it, hepatitis C infections require blood-to-blood contact for the infection to spread, and that usually occurs through things like needle sharing during drug use, improperly sanitized medical equipment, or blood transfusions.

There are, however, many published articles about how myeloma, and the treatment of myeloma, can lead to the "reactivation" of hepatitis. Most of the articles focus on hepatitis B. The general idea, I believe, is that myeloma and myeloma therapies weaken the patient's immune system, making it possible for infections in the body that have been dormant to become active once again.

So it's possible that the signs of hepatitis C infection that you're seeing are the result of a dormant infection -- undetectable in the past -- becoming more active.

Have you had hepatitis C in the past? I'm just curious because you say that you were tested regularly for hepatitis, and I didn't think that was a standard test. So that makes me wonder if perhaps you had hepatitis in the past, and that's why you've had been checked for it regularly.

[JimNY]

Re: Hepatitis C detected prior to stem cell transplant

by JimNY on Mon Jul 13, 2015 5:56 pm

Sorry, I meant to include this link in my previous posting. It's a list of articles from PubMed that are about both myeloma and hepatitis:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=hepatitis+myeloma

Good luck!

[greenrobin]

Re: Hepatitis C detected prior to stem cell transplant

by greenrobin on Tue Jul 14, 2015 9:46 pm

Thanks JimNY for sharing your thoughts and for the links. I guess we'll know more after an appointment with the infectious disease doctor, etc. We were told that the amount of hepatitis C is minute and that neither liver damage or swelling was observed via ultrasound.

Was the hepatitis C dormant and "reactivated" by multiple myeloma? Maybe. Probably. However, I did find at least a few articles that propose rather the chemo as responsible for the "reactivation."

My brother's ALT and AST have consistently been slightly higher than normal - hence the hepatitis panel that was done several months ago that came back negative.

The idea of a false positive for multiple myeloma dashed through my mind too, but all labs and tests, etc., support the diagnosis of multiple myeloma.

Thanks again JimNY.