Severe reactivation of seronegative occult hepatitis B after chemotherapy for lymphoma

A 78-year-old man with primary central nervous system lymphoma was transferred to our cancer centre for further treatment. The patient had been diagnosed 3 months earlier after he presented to another hospital with back pain, numbness, and tingling in all extremities; he had two cycles of rituximab and high-dose methotrexate, which had produced a partial response. The patient had also been given dexamethasone for cerebral oedema; his medical history included type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease.