title: Detection of HBV DNA and antigens in HBsAg-positive patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers include HBV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and HBV antigens. The former involves HBV covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) as well as total HBV DNA, whereas the latter involves HBsAg, HBcAg, and HBx.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples of tumor and adjacent non-tumor liver tissue were collected from 28 HBV-associated HCC patients. Intrahepatic total HBV DNA and cccDNA were measured using the real-time PCR Taqman assay. HBV antigens in hepatocytes were detected using immunohistochemical staining. Intrahepatic levels of total HBV DNA or cccDNA in HCC patients with different intrahepatic HBV antigen expression patterns were compared, and the correlation between serum HBV DNA and intrahepatic HBV DNA was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences in intrahepatic cccDNA levels were observed between tumor and non-tumor liver tissue (median -3.00 vs. -2.30 log copies/cell, P=0.298). However, the tumor tissue had significantly higher levels of total HBV DNA (median -0.60 vs. -1.24 log copies/cell, P=0.045) but significantly lower proportion of intrahepatic HBV DNA in the form of cccDNA (median 0.25% vs. 4%, P=0.023) than the corresponding values in the non-tumor tissue. Also, HBV antigen levels were lower in the tumor tissue than in the non-tumor tissue. Analysis of the correlation between serum HBV DNA and intrahepatic HBV DNA indicated that the viral status in the tumor tissue was more complicated in HBV-HCC patients-the detected serum HBV DNA failed to accurately reflect intrahepatic viral load.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HBV DNA may play an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis, and cccDNA was not the predominant form of HBV DNA in the tumor tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis of Hunan Province, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, PO Box 410008, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Sha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Department of Blood Transfusion, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis of Hunan Province, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, PO Box 410008, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Peng-Cheng
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis of Hunan Province, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, PO Box 410008, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis of Hunan Province, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, PO Box 410008, Changsha, China. Electronic address: rr_xy1234@126.com.
authors.forename: Rong-Rong
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis of Hunan Province, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, PO Box 410008, Changsha, China. Electronic address: xgfan@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Xue-Gong
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens