Significance of hepatitis B virus surface antigen, hepatitis C virus expression in hepatocellular carcinoma and pericarcinomatous tissues.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the correlation between hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis C virus (HCV) expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the HAI score of the noncancerous region of the liver and the serum Alpha fetoprotein (AFP) level.


METHODS
The patterns of HBsAg and HCV in 100 cases of HCC and their surrounding liver tissues were studied on paraffin-embedded sections with immuno-histochemistry, the histological status was determined by one pathologist and one surgeon simultaneously using the hepatitis activity index (HAI) score, and AFP was detected by radioimmunity. The study included 100 consecutive patients who underwent curative resection for HCC. Based on HBsAg and HCV expression, the patients were classified into 4 groups: patients positive for HBsAg (HBsAg group), patients positive for HCV (HCV group), patients negative for both HCV and HBsAg (NBNC group) and patients positive for both HBsAg and HCV (BC group).


RESULTS
The BC group had significantly higher HAI scores than the other three groups. (BC > HCV > HBsAg > NBNC). HBV and HCV virus infection was positively correlated with HAI (r(s) = 0.39, P = 0.0001). The positive rate of AFP (85.7%) and the value of AFP (541.2 ng/mL) in the group with HBV and HCV co-infection were the highest among the four groups. The positive rate (53.3%) of AFP and the value of AFP ( 53.3 ng/mL) in the group with none-infection of HBV and HCV were the lowest. HBV and HCV virus infection was positively correlated with AFP(r(s) = 0.38, P = 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
The AFP increase in patients with liver cancer was positively correlated with the infection of HBV and HCV. The serum AFP elevation by the infection of HBV and HCV is one of mechanisms which lead to hepatocarcinogenesis, and the antivirus intervening treatment of hepatitis is significant for the prognosis of liver cancer. From our Spearman's rank correlation analysis, we can conclude that the severity of virally induced inflammation is correlated with HBsAg and HCV expression in HCC tissues and noncancerous tissues. Prior co-infection of HBV in HCV patients may be an adverse risk factor for intrahepatic inflammation.
Xuan
Shi-Ying
SY
College of Medicine and Pharmaceutics, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, Shandong Province, China.
Xin
Yong-Ning
YN
Chen
Hua
H
Shi
Guang-Jun
GJ
Guan
Hua-Shi
HS
Li
Yang
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins