Prevalence of low-level hepatitis B viremia in patients with HBV surface antigen-negative hepatocellular carcinoma with and without hepatitis C virus infection in Japan: analysis by COBAS TaqMan real-time PCR.
OBJECTIVE
The effect of circulating low-level hepatitis B virus (HBV), defined as one of the states of 'occult HBV infection', on the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in HBV surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative patients is controversial. In addition, the prevalence of occult HBV infection strongly depends on the sensitivity of the HBV detection method. We investigated the prevalence of low-level HBV in the serum of HBsAg-negative patients with HCC using a newly developed, sensitive method based on real-time polymerase chain reaction.


METHODS
Serum was examined for HBV DNA in 132 patients with HBsAg-negative HCC (95 with hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection and 37 without detectable hepatitis virus infection) with the COBAS TaqMan HBV test, of which the 95% hit rate is 35 copies/ml (6.7 IU/ml).


RESULTS
Low-level HBV DNA was detected in 2 of 95 (2.1%) patients with HCV-related HCC and 1 of 37 (2.7%) patients with non-viral HCC.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of the detection of circulating low-level HBV was low in both HBsAg-negative HCC patients with HCV infection and those without detectable hepatitis virus, even with the use of the most sensitive method for the detection of HBV. Circulating low-level HBV does not appear to play an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis in HBsAg-negative HCC.
Toyoda
Hidenori
H
Department of Gastroenterology, Ogaki Municipal Hospital, Ogaki, Gifu, Japan. tkumada@he.mirai.ne.jp
Kumada
Takashi
T
Kiriyama
Seiki
S
Sone
Yasuhiro
Y
Tanikawa
Makoto
M
Hisanaga
Yasuhiro
Y
Kanamori
Akira
A
D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D019914:Taq Polymerase; D014766:Viremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology
D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D019914:Taq Polymerase