title: Nucleotide analogs for patients with HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma increase the survival rate through improved liver function.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluated the outcomes of antiviral therapy with nucleotide analogs for hepatitis B virus infection-related hepatocellular carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty patients orally received nucleotide analogs and, as a matched control group, 20 patients who were not treated with nucleotide analogs were selected. We compared changes in liver function, HCC recurrence and survival rate between both groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the nucleotide analog group, serum albumin, AST and ALT were significantly improved compared with baseline values. The Child-Pugh score was significantly decreased in the nucleotide analog group. Furthermore, of the 36 patients curatively treated with the initial treatment, more patients in the nucleotide analog group improved or maintained their Child-Pugh score at the time of recurrent HCC than in the control group (p=0.023). The cumulative recurrent-free survival rate of HCC did not significantly differ between the two groups; however, the cumulative survival rates of not only curative-treated patients but also all patients in the nucleotide analog group were significantly higher than those of patients in the control group (p=0.047 and p=0.02, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that nucleotide analog treatment increases the survival rate in patients with HCC by contributing to the improvement of remnant liver function.
authors.affiliation: The Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago. masakoda@grape.med.tottori-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koda
authors.forename: Takakazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagahara
authors.forename: Tomomitu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matono
authors.forename: Takaaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugihara
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mandai
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueki
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohyama
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hosho
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Okano
authors.forename: Yukihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kishimoto
authors.forename: Michimori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kono
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murawaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D009711:Nucleotides