Frequency and Characteristics of Occult Hepatitis B Infection Among Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients in Japan.
INTRODUCTION AND AIM
Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI) represents a state without detectable hepatitis B surface antigen, but positive for HBV DNA. The correlation between OBI and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) carcinogenesis is controversial. We studied the frequency and characteristics of OBI among HCC patients and metastatic liver cancer patients.


MATERIAL AND METHODS
DNA was obtained from tumor and non-tumor tissues from 75 HCC patients (15 chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 39 chronic hepatitis C (CHC), 21 cryptogenic) and 15 metastatic liver cancer patients who underwent liver resection. HBV DNA and covalentlyclosed circular (ccc) DNA were detected using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and four HBV DNA regions were detected by nested PCR. Clinicopathological factors were compared between patients with and without OBI.


RESULTS
HBV DNA was detected in 14 (93.3%) CHB, five (22.7%) cryptogenic and four (10.3%) CHC patients. cccDNA was detected in 12 (80.0%) CHB, three (14.3%) cryptogenic and two (5.1%) CHC patients. All CHB, eight (38.1%) cryptogenic and ten (25.6%) CHC patients tested positive with nested PCR. No metastatic liver cancer patients were positive for any HBV DNA regions. OBI patients had shorter prothrombin times (P = 0.0055), and lower inflammation activity score in non-tumor liver (P = 0.0274). There were no differences in anti-HBV antibodies.


CONCLUSIONS
OBI was detected in 38% of cryptogenic and 25.6% of CHC patients. There was no correlation between OBI and anti-HBV antibodies, but fewer patients with OBI had high inflammatory activity, suggesting that factors other than inflammation may be involved in HCC carcinogenesis in patients with OBI.
['Muto|Jun|J|', 'Sugiyama|Masaya|M|', 'Shirabe|Ken|K|', 'Mukaide|Motokazu|M|', 'Kirikae-Muto|Ikue|I|', 'Ikegami|Toru|T|', 'Yoshizumi|Tomoharu|T|', 'Yamashita|Yo-Ichi|YI|', 'Maehara|Yoshihiko|Y|', 'Mizokami|Masashi|M|']
D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D001706:Biopsy D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral D004279:DNA, Viral D005260:Female D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies D006515:Hepatitis B virus D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions D006801:Humans D015994:Incidence D007564:Japan D008113:Liver Neoplasms D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction D019562:Viral Load
Hepatocellular carcinoma Inflammation Occult hepatitis B virus infection