Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection is a common complication of cancer, which is particularly high for patients with hematological malignancies. However, little data has been reported on VZV infection about its frequency of onset and risk factors during chemotherapy for malignant lymphoma. Here, we wish to report a retrospective analysis of complications of VZV infection in patients with malignant lymphoma after their first chemotherapy treatment at our department. Out of 188 patients, 23

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... es (12.2%) developed complications of VZV infection. In non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), VZV infection was found in 18 patients out of 173 (8.4%), whereas in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) it was found in 5 patients out of 16 (35.3%). Although in all cases, response to the treatment showed improvements, postherpetic neuralgia was found in 5 patients. According to univariate analysis, gender (female, P=0.0261), histology (HL, P=0.0152), duration of steroids administration (≧ 61 days, P=0.0075) were considered as significant factors relating to the risk factors of VZV infection. In conclusion, these findings suggested that initiating prophylactic oral administration from the start of chemotherapy with patients with higher risk for VZV infection requires examination.