Detection of hepatitis C viraemia in Caucasian patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
Potential risk factors for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma were analysed in 40 Caucasian patients with this malignancy. A higher proportion (14 of 40; 35%) had evidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection than had evidence of either hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriage (17.5%) or alcohol abuse (30%). In all 14 patients whose sera were reactive by HCV ELISA (Ortho second generation test), the presence of antibodies to HCV were confirmed by recombinant immunoblot assay (Ortho RIBA-2). Furthermore, two independent laboratories detected HCV-RNA in 10 of the 14 (71%) anti-HCV positive sera. Two additional sera were shown to contain HCV-RNA when reanalysed by a modified PCR using oligonucleotide primers designed to amplify a shorter fragment of the 5' noncoding region of the genome. Seven of the anti-HCV positive patients also had evidence of prior HBV infection and 2 admitted to alcohol abuse. HCV infection was the only identifiable risk factor in 6 patients. These data confirm the association between HCV infection and hepatocellular carcinoma and suggest that persistent viral replication accompanies tumour development in the majority of patients whose serum contains anti-HCV.
Garson
J A
JA
Department of Medical Microbiology, University College and Middlesex School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
Wicki
A N
AN
Ring
C J
CJ
Joller
H
H
Zala
G
G
Schmid
M
M
Buehler
H
H
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014766:Viremia / Q000150:complications*; D014779:Virus Replication; D044465:White People
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral