title: Lack of correlation between the antibody to hepatitis B core antigen and survival after surgical resection for hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: The impact of antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) on survival after curative surgical resection (SR) for hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between anti-HBc positivity and survival of HCV-related HCC patients who underwent curative SR. A total of 222 patients with HCV-related, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative HCC who underwent curative SR were analyzed. They included 119 anti-HBc-positive patients (53.6%) and 103 anti-HBc-negative patients (46.4%). Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were compared between the two groups. The median follow-up periods in the anti-HBc-positive and anti-HBc-negative groups were 3.4 years (range, 0.3-10.9 years) and 3.2 years (range, 0.5-10.9 years), respectively. The 1-, 3- and 5-year cumulative OS rates were 88.8, 70.2 and 50.0%, respectively, in the anti-HBc-positive group and 95.8, 77.1 and 61.7% in the anti-HBc-negative group (P=0.300). The corresponding RFS rates were 68.7, 33.0 and 20.0%, respectively, in the anti-HBc-positive group and 74.4, 38.5 and 16.5% in the anti-HBc-negative group (P=0.482). Multivariate analyses identified serum albumin ≥3.8 g/dl (P=0.005) and the presence of microvascular invasion (P<0.001) as independent factors linked to OS, and interferon therapy after surgery (P=0.011), α-fetoprotein ≥40 ng/ml (P=0.030) and the presence of microvascular invasion (P<0.001) were significant predictors linked to RFS. In subgroup analyses according to maximum tumor size and background liver disease in terms of OS and RFS, no significant difference between the anti-HBc-positive and anti-HBc-negative groups was observed except in patients with non-cirrhotic liver in terms of RFS. In conclusion, anti-HBc-positivity is not a useful predictor for survival of patients with HCV-related HCC after curative SR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Osaka Red Cross Hospital, Tennoji-ku, Osaka 543-0027, Japan. h-nishikawa@osaka-med.jrc.or.jp
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nishikawa
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arimoto
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wakasa
authors.forename: Ryuichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Osaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D013534:Survival
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens