Favorable long-term surgical outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with hepatitis B envelope antibody.
BACKGROUND
Surgical outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in relation to the serum hepatitis B envelope (HBe) has not been clarified in detail.


METHODS
We retrospectively studied 732 patients with HCC within the Milan criteria who underwent hepatectomy from 1991 through 2005. Serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs-Ag) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody were routinely performed preoperatively, and 92 patients were only positive for HBs-Ag. Serum HBe antibody (HBe-Ab) was further examined, and surgical outcomes after hepatectomy were compared with those of 70 patients who were positive for HBe-Ab and 15 patients who were negative for HBe-Ab.


RESULTS
The 5- and 10-year survival rates were significantly greater in patients who were positive for HBe-Ab (90% and 80%, respectively) than in patients who were negative for HBe-Ab (61% and 37%: P = 0.0004, respectively). The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was significantly greater in patients who were positive for HBe-Ab (53%) than in patients who were negative for HBe-Ab (21%: P = 0.0054). Multivariate analysis showed that positive HBe-Ab was an independent prognostic factor for survival (P = 0.0045) and recurrence-free survival (P = 0.004).


CONCLUSIONS
Favorable long-term surgical outcomes were achieved in patients with HCC within the Milan criteria who were positive for HBe-Ab.
Ariizumi
Shun-ichi
S
Department of Surgery, Institute of Gastroenterology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan. ari@gd6.so-net.ne.jp
Kotera
Yoshihito
Y
Katagiri
Satoshi
S
Yamamoto
Masakazu
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins