title: GB virus-C RNA in Japanese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The involvement of non-B, non-C virus in the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not yet known. We have therefore examined the occurrence of GBV-C RNA in such patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eleven patients diagnosed as having HCC and 67 patients with cirrhosis without HCC were examined for the prevalence of GBV-C RNA by nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction with primers located at the helicase region. Sera were obtained and kept at -20 degrees C until analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GBV-C RNA was positive in 11/111 (9.9%) cases with HCC, in 10/74 (13.5%) anti-HCV positive cases, in 1/25 (4%) HBsAg positive cases, and in 0/8 (0%) anti-HCV and HBsAg negative cases. GBV-C RNA was also positive in 7/67 (10.4%) cases with cirrhosis, in only 1/18 (5.6%) anti-HCV and HBsAg negative cases, in 4/33 (12.1%) anti-HCV positive, and in 2/14 (14.3%) HBsAg positive cases. The clinical background of patients with anti-HCV positive HCC who were also positive for GBV-C RNA did not differ from the background of those negative for GBV-C RNA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GBV-C is unlikely to be a major etiologic agent of non-B, non-C chronic liver diseases and HCC in Japan.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine, Chiba University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yokosuka
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Imazeki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tagawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ehata
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saisho
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Omata
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000821:virology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral