Universal screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) may be necessary for patients with hematologic malignancies and hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients, a new study suggests. The cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of anti-HCV and to compare the effectiveness of universal HCV screening vs risk-factor based and 1945-1965 birth-cohort-based screening at the largest tertiary cancer center in the US. All patients with hematologic malignancies who were routinely tested for anti-HCV at their initial visit from June 2004 through May 2014 were included. Researchers found:

• Anti-HCV prevalence was 2.1% (283/13,718).
• Of 142 patients meeting criteria, 98 (69%) were born during 1945-1965, and 24 (17%) had at least 1 HCV risk factor identified by primary hematologist-oncologists.
• Almost one-third of the patients with newly diagnosed anti-HCV did not belong to the 1945-1965 birth cohort or have HCV risk factors.