Trial Information

Associations of Hematologic Malignancies and Thyroid Cancer With HCV Infection Among US Military Veterans

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) may be a cause of hematologic malignancies and thyroid cancer. HCV
infection is common among U.S. military veterans receiving care in the Veterans
Administration healthcare system. The investigators propose a retrospective cohort study
using VA administrative databases. A cohort of approximately 147,000 HCV-infected veterans
has been identified for the period 1997-2004. Likewise, a cohort of approximately 573,000
HCV-uninfected veterans has been identified for the same period. These subjects are being
evaluated for the diagnosis of hematologic malignancies, thyroid cancer, and related medical
conditions as recorded in VA databases. The comparison of the prevalence and incidence of
these cancers in the two cohorts will provide a test of the hypothesis that HCV infection
can cause these cancers.

The investigators will also evaluate the association between HCV infection and several other
medical conditions, which might be related to HCV infection, specifically: immune
thrombocytopenic purpura, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, cholangiocarcinoma, cholangitis, and
pancreatic cancer.