High prevalence of transfusion-transmitted virus among patients with non-B, non-C hepatocellular carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Many patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV). Recently, transfusion-transmitted virus (TTV) DNA was identified in the serum of patients with non-B, non-C posttransfusion hepatitis. In this study, the prevalence of TTV DNA in the serum of patients with non-B, non-C hepatitis-associated hepatocellular carcinoma was evaluated.


METHODS
Fifteen patients with hepatocellular carcinoma negative for HBsAg, antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc), and anti-HCV antibodies were enrolled in this study (non-B, non-C group). Fifteen patients positive for HBsAg and negative for anti-HCV antibody (HBV group) and another group of patients negative for HBsAg but positive for anti-HCV antibody (HCV group) were also enrolled in this study. Data obtained from 27 healthy subjects negative for both HBsAg and anti-HCV antibody and normal levels of serum alanine aminotransferase represented controls. The healthy control group, the non-B, non-C group, and the HCV group were age-matched. TTV DNA was detected by heminested polymerase chain reaction in which specific primers were used.


RESULTS
TTV DNA was detected in 10 of 15 patients (67%) in the non-B, non-C group. This prevalence rate in the non-B, non-C group was significantly higher than that in the HBV group (3 of 15 patients, 20%) and the control group (9 of 27 patients, 33%), but it was not significantly different from that in the HCV group (7 of 15 patients, 47%). The noncancerous hepatic tissue samples of 10 TTV-DNA positive patients in the non-B, non-C group included 2 with chronic hepatitis and 8 with cirrhosis.


CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that TTV DNA is frequently detected in the serum of patients with non-B, non-C hepatocellular carcinoma. This result suggests a potential pathogenetic association between hepatocellular carcinoma and TTV infection.
Nakagawa
N
N
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Mie University School of Medicine, Mie, Japan.
Ikoma
J
J
Ishihara
T
T
Yasui
N
N
Fujita
N
N
Iwasa
M
M
Kaito
M
M
Watanabe
S
S
Adachi
Y
Y
D000368:Aged; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D004266:DNA Virus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D004267:DNA Viruses / Q000235:genetics*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence
D004279:DNA, Viral