Associations between antibody to hepatitis B core antigen positivity and outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing hepatic resection

作者：Itoh Shinji^*; Yoshizumi Tomoharu; Tomino Takahiro; Nagatsu Akihisa; Motomura Takashi; Harada Noboru; Harimoto Norifumi; Ikegami Toru; Soejima Yuji; Maehara Yoshihiko

来源：Hepatology Research, 2018, 48(3): E155-E161.

DOI：10.1111/hepr.12939

• hepatitis B core antigen
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• prognosis

Aim: We aimed to evaluate the effect of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAb) positivity on clinical outcomes after hepatic resection in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with negative hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis C virus antibody (HCVAb), termed non-B, non-C HCC (NBNC-HCC), or with HCV-related HCC.
Methods: Two hundred and sixty-three patients who underwent hepatic resection for HCC and measurements of HBsAg, HCVAb, and HBcAb were enrolled in this study.
Results: The percentages of HBcAb positivity were 52.3% (n = 57) and 56.9% (n = 66) in patients with NBNC- and HCV-related HCC, respectively. The proportion of multiple NBNC-HCCs was significantly greater in patients with HBcAb positivity compared to HBcAb negativity (P = 0.028). There were no significant differences in the recurrence-free and overall survival rates between NBNC-HCC patients with HBcAb positivity versus negativity (P = 0.461 and P = 0.190, respectively). Furthermore, for HCV-related HCC patients, there were no significant differences in the baseline factors between patients with positive versus negative HBcAb. The proportion of patients with HBcAb-positive HCV-related HCC who underwent anatomical resection of the liver was significantly greater than that of HBcAb-negative patients, whereas the recurrence-free and overall survival rates were not significantly different (P = 0.158 and P = 0.191, respectively).
Conclusion: In our study, the presence of HBcAb had no impact on surgical outcomes after hepatic resection in patients with NBNB- and HCV-related HCC. Occult HBV infection might be associated with hepatocarcinogenesis in patients with NBNC-related HCC.

• 出版日期2018-2