Lack of epidemiological evidence for a role of resolved hepatitis B virus infection in hepatocarcinogenesis in patients infected with hepatitis C virus in Japan.
OBJECTIVE
The role of resolved hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in promoting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Japan was evaluated by epidemiological surveys.


METHODS
Antibody to hepatitis B core (anti-HBc) was determined in age-matched blood donors, and the frequency was compared with that in patients with HCV-associated HCC in Japan.


RESULTS
Anti-HBc was detected significantly more frequently in the blood donors with than without antibody to HCV (anti-HCV; 76/135 or 56.3% vs. 65/255 or 25.5%, p < 0.001). In the patients with HCV-associated HCC, anti-HBc was detected in 109 of 202 (54.0%), which was comparable to the frequency in anti-HCV-positive blood donors (56.3%). Among the blood donors with anti-HCV, the prevalence of anti-HBc was no different between those with and without HCV RNA in serum (40/77 or 51.9% vs. 36/58 or 62.1%).


CONCLUSIONS
The individuals of an age with high cancer frequency (>or=40 years) in Japan would have been exposed to HBV frequently (>50%), whether or not they have developed HCV-associated HCC. Despite repeated assertions in the literature, no epidemiological evidence was obtained for a role of past HBV infection in hepatocarcinogenesis in patients infected with HCV in Japan.
Hiraoka
Tetsuro
T
Department of Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima, Japan.
Katayama
Keiko
K
Tanaka
Junko
J
Ohno
Naofumi
N
Joko
Kouji
K
Komiya
Yutaka
Y
Kumagai
Junko
J
Mizui
Masaaki
M
Hino
Kunihiko
K
Miyakawa
Yuzo
Y
Yoshizawa
Hiroshi
H
D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens