Trends in Mortality Related to Hepatitis B and C from 1990 to 2019 in the Western Pacific Region

Background/Aims

: This study aimed to analyze the trends in mortality attributed to hepatitis B and C around the Western Pacific region from 1990 to 2019.

Methods

: We used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study for a systematic analysis. The deaths related to hepatitis B and C were analyzed by age, sex, year, risk factors, geographical location, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI).

Results

: From 1990 to 2019, the annual total deaths from hepatitis B decreased from 0.266 to 0.210 million and those from hepatitis C increased from 0.119 to 0.142 million in the Western Pacific region. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of hepatitis B and C decreased by 63.5% and 48.0%, respectively. The declines in the ASMR related to hepatitis B and C were only detected in 12 and two Western Pacific countries, respectively. As the major risk factors, the contribution of alcohol use to hepatitis B deaths was 52% and drug use to hepatitis C was 80%. In males and females, the ASMR attributed to hepatitis B decreased by 61% and 71%, respectively, and the ASMR attributed to hepatitis C decreased by 43% and 55%, respectively. The association between SDI and ASMRs suggested that hepatitis B and C, respectively, showed an overall decline and stable trends as the SDI improved in the Western Pacific region.

Conclusions

: Although the mortality rate from hepatitis B and C decreased from 1990 to 2019, notable variation was observed among 27 Western Pacific countries. Efforts targeting hepatitis B and C prevention and treatment are still required in this region, especially for the pandemic countries.

The impact of the timely birth dose vaccine on the global elimination of hepatitis B

In 2016 the World Health Organization set the goal of eliminating hepatitis B globally by 2030. Horizontal transmission has been greatly reduced in most countries by scaling up coverage of the infant HBV vaccine series, and vertical transmission is therefore becoming increasingly dominant. Here we show that scaling up timely hepatitis B birth dose vaccination to 90% of new-borns in 110 low- and middle-income countries by 2030 could prevent 710,000 (580,000 to 890,000) deaths in the 2020 to 2030 birth cohorts compared to status quo, with the greatest benefits in Africa. Maintaining this could lead to elimination by 2030 in the Americas, but not before 2059 in Africa. Drops in coverage due to disruptions in 2020 may lead to 15,000 additional deaths, mostly in South-East Asia and the Western Pacific. Delays in planned scale-up could lead to an additional 580,000 deaths globally in the 2020 to 2030 birth cohorts.

Sociodemographic characteristics, complications requiring hospital admission and causes of in-hospital death in patients with liver cirrhosis admitted at a district hospital in Ghana

BACKGROUND

Chronic liver diseases including liver cirrhosis are a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Despite the high burden of liver cirrhosis in Ghana, data on this disease is lacking.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the sociodemographic characteristics, reasons for admission, and in-hospital mortality of patients with cirrhosis of the liver seen at a district hospital in Ghana.

METHODS

A prospective study was conducted involving one hundred and eighty-six (186) patients admitted on the medical wards in St. Dominic hospital with liver cirrhosis from 1st January 2018 to 24th June 2020. The patient's demographic and clinical features were documented using a standardized questionnaire. Diagnostic biochemical and haematological tests as well as abdominal ultrasound scans were performed for all patients. They were followed up until death or discharge from hospital.

RESULTS

One hundred and eighty-six patients (186) with a median age of 46 years were included in the study. HBV was the main etiology of liver cirrhosis (38.7%) followed closely by alcohol consumption (38.3%). In-hospital mortality was 41.3% and the most frequent cause of death was hepatic encephalopathy (68.4%). The following were associated with death; Jaundice, weight loss, elevated bilirubin, international normalized ratio (INR), creatinine, blood urea nitrogen(BUN), Child-Pugh score, model for end-stage liver disease sodium score (MELDNa), and low sodium. However, hepatic encephalopathy, MELDNa, INR and BUN were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality on logistic regression analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

In-hospital mortality in cirrhotic patients was high with the leading cause of death being hepatic encephalopathy. Timely diagnosis and adequate management of hepatic encephalopathy are necessary to prevent death from liver cirrhosis.

Everolimus Related Fulminant Hepatitis in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor With Liver Metastases: A Case Report and Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Everolimus, an immunosuppressant, is approved for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma, metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (P-NETs) but has been reported to be related to hepatitis B reactivation. Here, we present the first case of fatal fulminant hepatitis B reactivation in a man with P-NET accompanied by multiple liver metastases who received everolimus and octreotide long-acting repeatable (LAR).

CASE PRESENTATION

A 45-year-old male had a history of chronic hepatitis B infection. He was found to have a complicated liver cyst incidentally, and then he underwent biopsy, which disclosed a grade 2 neuroendocrine tumor (NET). Subsequent MRI of the abdomen and PET revealed a solid mass at the pancreatic tail with numerous liver tumors favoring metastases and peripancreatic lymph node metastases. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) of the right lobe of the liver was performed, and he started to take 5 mg everolimus twice a day and 20 mg octreotide LAR every month 8 days after the 1^st TACE. No hepatitis B virus (HBV) prophylaxis treatment was administered. He then underwent laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy three and half months after the initial treatment of everolimus. He continued everolimus 5 mg twice a day and octreotide 20 mg every month after the operation. Three months later, hepatic failure occurred due to acute hepatitis B flare-up-related fulminant hepatic failure since other possible causes of hepatic failure were excluded. Five days after hepatic failure presented, hepatic failure was apparent, and pulseless ventricular tachycardia occurred. The patient expired after failed resuscitation.

CONCLUSION

A literature review of everolimus-related hepatitis B reactivation was conducted. In P-NET patients with chronic hepatitis B who will undergo everolimus treatment, HBV prophylaxis should be considered since fatal hepatitis B reactivation might occur under rare conditions.

Mean Platelet Volume/Platelet Count Ratio as a Predictor of 3-Month Mortality in HBV-Related Decompensated Cirrhosis Patients

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated decompensated cirrhosis (HBV-DeCi) has a high mortality rate if liver transplantation is not performed. The study aimed to evaluate the association between the mean platelet volume to platelet count ratio (MPR) and outcomes of HBV-DeCi patients.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of 109 patients newly diagnosed with HBV-DeCi. Univariate and multivariate regression models were used to determine risk factors for 90-day mortality.

RESULTS

The MPR was observed to be higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors. Multivariate analysis suggested that the model for end-stage liver disease score and MPR were independent predictors in HBV-DeCi patients.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that the MPR can serve as a potential predictor of 3-month mortality in HBV-DeCi patients.

Eighteen-year follow-up cohort study on hepatitis B and C virus infections related long-term prognosis among hemodialysis patients in Hiroshima

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence trend of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections and their genotype distribution among hemodialysis patients, determining their long-term prognosis and the risk factors to the mortality. This cohort study used both the medical data and the blood samples of hemodialysis patients at nine dialysis centers in Hiroshima from 1999 to 2017. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HCV were screened and then amplification was done to positive sera by polymerase chain reaction for genotyping. Data were employed for multiple regressions to determine the associated risk factors. A total of 3968 patients were subdivided into three groups: who started hemodialysis before 1990, during 1991 to 2001, and after 2002. The periodic prevalence of HBsAg decreased from 2.8% to 1.3% and that of anti-HCV from 33.3% to 9.5% in the three groups. By multiple regressions, the adjusted hazard ratio of diabetes mellitus (DM) ranges from 1.59 to 2.12 and that of HCV RNA positivity ranges from 1.18 to 1.48 (P < .05). Heart failure is the primary cause of death in all groups. Genotype C2 is predominant for HBV and genotype 1b is predominant for HCV. The decreasing trend of both HBV and HCV was found in the cohort. DM and HCV RNA were the significant risk factors leading to poor prognosis among hemodialysis patients. The similar genotype distribution of both HBV and HCV was found as general population. This alarmed to provide early diagnosis, prompt, and adequate treatment to HCV infection among hemodialysis patients.

Estimates of Cancer Mortality Attributable to Carcinogenic Infections in Italy

Several infectious agents are ascertained causes of cancer, but the burden of cancer mortality attributable to carcinogenic infections in Italy is still unknown. To tackle this issue, we calculated the rate and regional distribution of cancer deaths due to infections sustained by seven pathogens ranked as group 1 carcinogenic agents in humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Population attributable fractions related to these agents were applied to annual statistics of cancer deaths coded according to the 10th International Classification of Diseases. The estimated burden of cancer mortality attributable to carcinogenic infections in Italy during the period 2011-2015 was 8.7% of all cancer deaths registered yearly, on average. Approximately 60% of deaths occurred in men, and almost the whole burden was due to four infectious agents (Helicobacter pylori, hepatitis C virus, high-risk human papillomavirus, and hepatitis B virus). The analysis of regional distribution showed a higher number of infection-related cancer deaths in the northern regions, where the estimates reached 30 (Liguria) and 28 (Friuli Venezia Giulia) deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015. Since one-twelfth of cancer deaths were attributable to these modifiable risk factors, the implementation of appropriate prevention and treatment interventions may help to reduce the impact of these infections on cancer mortality.

Incidence of hospitalization for infection among patients with hepatitis B or C virus infection without cirrhosis in Taiwan: A cohort study

BACKGROUND

Infection is a major complication in liver cirrhosis and causes major morbidity and mortality. However, the incidence and mortality related to these conditions in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) are unclear, as is whether antiviral therapy could change their infection risk.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

In this community-based cohort study, a total of 115,336 adults (mean age 52.2 years; 35.6% men) without cirrhosis participating in the New Taipei City Health Screening in 2005-2008 were classified as having noncirrhotic HCV (NC-HCV) (n = 2,839), noncirrhotic hepatitis B virus (NC-HBV) (n = 8,316), or no HBV or HCV infection (NBNC) (n = 104,181). Participants were followed to their first hospitalization for infection or death after data linkage with the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) and Death Registry. A Cox proportional hazard regression model, adjusted for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol consumption, education level, diabetes, renal function, systemic steroids, and history of hospitalization, was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall and individual sites of infection and infection-related mortality. The reference group was NBNC participants with normal to mildly elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (<1.5 times upper normal limit [UNL]) levels. To further address the impact of antiviral treatment on infection risk, we conducted analyses of data from the nationwide NHIRD and compared the risks for hospitalization because of infections and infection-related deaths between patients with HCV who received antiviral therapy (n = 20,264) and those who remained untreated (n = 104,360). During a median 8.2-year follow-up, the incidence of hospitalization for infection was substantially higher in NC-HCV patients. Compared to the reference group, NC-HCV was associated with a significantly higher risk for hospitalization because of overall infections (adjusted HR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.12-1.33), but we observed no increased risk for patients in the NC-HBV (adjusted HR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.88-1.01) or NBNC group with moderate to markedly elevated ALT levels (adjusted HR: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.93-1.14). For specific sites of infection, the NC-HCV group had increased risks for septicemia and lower respiratory tract, reproductive, and urinary tract infections. We noted no increased risk for infection-related death among patients with NC-HCV. Patients with HCV who received antiviral therapy had significantly reduced infection-related hospitalization and death risks (adjusted HR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.73-0.84 for infection-related hospitalization and adjusted HR: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.04-0.16 for infection-related deaths). Study limitations include the exclusion of patients with cirrhosis from the cohort, the possibility of unmeasured confounding, and the lack of information on direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, patients with NC-HCV were at increased risk for hospitalization for infection, while no increased risk was observed for NC-HBV-infected patients.

Hepatitis B Virus Infection is a Prognostic Biomarker for Better Survival in Operable Esophageal Cancer: Analysis of 2,004 Patients from an Endemic Area in China

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection has been proven to be associated with the survival of many cancers. However, the prevalence and prognostic value of HBV infection in esophageal cancer has not been investigated yet.

METHODS

A total of 2,004 consecutive esophageal cancer patients who underwent esophagectomy between 2000 and 2008 were recruited in our study. ELISA was used to test serum HBV markers. Patients were divided into HBsAg-positive group (HBV infection) and HBsAg-negative group. The impact of HBV infection on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard models.

RESULTS

HBV infection was found in 12.6% (253/2,004) of patients. HBsAg-positive patients had significantly higher percentage of early pathologic T stage, lower frequency of liver metastasis, and extrahepatic metastasis than HBsAg-negative. HBsAg-positive patients had a favorable DFS [HR = 0.79; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66-0.94, P = 0.007) and OS (HR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.65-0.95, P = 0.020] respectively, when compared with HBsAg-negative patients. Subgroup analysis showed that the association with HBV infection and better DFS and OS was observed in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and advanced pathologic stage (III-IV).Conclusion: HBV infection was an independent favorable prognostic factor for survival in operable esophageal cancer.

IMPACT

Our large cohort study provided more definite and quantitative evidence that HBV infection is an independent favorable prognostic biomarker in patients with esophageal cancer, especially in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and advanced pathologic stage (III-IV).

Mortality risk in the population of HIV-positive individuals in Southern China: A cohort study

To evaluate the mortality risk in the HIV-positive population, we conducted an observational cohort study involving routine data collection of HIV-positive patients who presented at HIV clinics and multiple treatment centers throughout Guangxi province, Southern China in 2011. The patients were screened for tuberculosis (TB) and tested for hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus infections yearly. Following the registration, the cohort was followed up for a 60-month period till the end-point (December 31, 2015). Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for mortality after adjusting for confounding factors stratified by patients’ sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics. HRs were compared within risk-factor levels. With the median follow-up of 3.7-person years for each individual, 5,398 (37.8%) (of 14,293 patients with HIV/AIDS) died; among whom, 78.4% were antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve; 43.6% presented late; and 12.2% and 3.3% of patients had Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and HBV and HCV co-infection, respectively. Of individuals with CD4 counts, those with CD4 count >350 cells/μL formed 14.0% of those who died. Furthermore, gender [multivariable HR (95% CI):1.94 (1.68–2.25)], Han ethnicity [2.15 (1.07–4.32)], illiteracy [3.28 (1.96–5.5)], elementary education [2.91 (1.8–4.72)], late presentation [2.89 (2.46–3.39)], and MTB co-infection [1.28 (1.10–1.49)] strongly increased the all-cause mortality risk of HIV-positive individuals. The HR for ART-based stratification was 0.08 (0.07–0.09); and for HBV and HCV co-infection, HR was 1.02 (0.86–1.21). The findings emphasized that accessibility to HIV testing among high-risk populations and screening for viral hepatitis and TB co-infection are important for the survival of HIV-positive individuals. Initiating early ART, even for individuals with higher CD4 counts, is advisable to help increase the prolongation of lives within the community.

Accelerating the elimination of viral hepatitis: a Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology Commission

Viral hepatitis is a major public health threat and a leading cause of death worldwide. Annual mortality from viral hepatitis is similar to that of other major infectious diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis. Highly effective prevention measures and treatments have made the global elimination of viral hepatitis a realistic goal, endorsed by all WHO member states. Ambitious targets call for a global reduction in hepatitis-related mortality of 65% and a 90% reduction in new infections by 2030. This Commission draws together a wide range of expertise to appraise the current global situation and to identify priorities globally, regionally, and nationally needed to accelerate progress. We identify 20 heavily burdened countries that account for over 75% of the global burden of viral hepatitis. Key recommendations include a greater focus on national progress towards elimination with support given, if necessary, through innovative financing measures to ensure elimination programmes are fully funded by 2020. In addition to further measures to improve access to vaccination and treatment, greater attention needs to be paid to access to affordable, high-quality diagnostics if testing is to reach the levels needed to achieve elimination goals. Simplified, decentralised models of care removing requirements for specialised prescribing will be required to reach those in need, together with sustained efforts to tackle stigma and discrimination. We identify key examples of the progress that has already been made in many countries throughout the world, demonstrating that sustained and coordinated efforts can be successful in achieving the WHO elimination goals.

Liver cirrhosis mortality at national and provincial levels in Iran between 1990 and 2015: A meta regression analysis

Background

Liver cirrhosis mortality number has increased over the last decades. We aimed to estimate the liver cirrhosis mortality rate and its trends for the first time by sex, age, geographical distribution, and cause in Iran.

Method

Iranian Death Registration System, along with demographic (Complete and Summary Birth History, Maternal Age Cohort and Period methods) and statistical methods (Spatio-temporal and Gaussian process regression models) were used to address the incompleteness and misclassification and uncertainty of death registration system to estimate annual cirrhosis mortality rate. Percentages of deaths were proportionally redistributed into cirrhosis due to hepatitis B, C and alcohol use based on the data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2010 study.

Results

Liver cirrhosis mortality in elder patients was 12 times higher than that in younger patients at national level in 2015. Over the 26 years, liver cirrhosis mortality in males has increased more than that in females. Plus, the percentage of change in age adjusted mortality rate at provincial levels varied between decreases of 64.53% to nearly 17% increase. Mortality rate has increased until 2002 and then decreased until 2015.The province with highest mortality rate in 2015 has nearly two times greater rate compare to the lowest. More than 60% of liver cirrhosis mortality cases at national level are caused by hepatitis B and C infection. The rate of hepatitis B mortality is four times more than that from hepatitis C.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated an increasing and then decreasing pattern in cirrhosis mortality that could be due to national vaccination of hepatitis B program. However monitoring, early detection and treatment of risk factors of cirrhosis, mainly in high risk age groups and regions are essential. Cirrhosis mortality could be diminished by using new non-invasive methods of cirrhosis screening, hepatitis B vaccination, definite treatment of hepatitis C.

Significant predictors of overall survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after surgical resection

BACKGROUND

The predictive factors of overall survival after hepatectomy for HCC remain controversial and need to be investigated.

METHODS

In total, 535 consecutive HCC patients undergoing resection were included and their clinicopathological data and overall survival were recorded. Both the tumor and adjacent non-tumor (ANT) tissues were subjected to immunohistochemistry analysis for the expression of autophagy-related markers.

RESULTS

Death was observed for 219 patients, and the cumulative overall survival rates at 1, 3, 5 and 7 years were 91.0%, 72.3%, 58.8%, and 27.7%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, mortality was significantly associated with the following: diminished LC3 expression in both the tumor and ANT tissues, in the HCC tissues alone and in the ANT tissues alone (hazard ratio/95% confidence interval: 6.74/2.052-22.19, 6.70/1.321-33.98 and 2.58/1.499-4.915, respectively); recurrent HCC (5.11/3.136-8.342); HBV infection (2.75/1.574-4.784); cirrhosis (1.78/1.059-2.974); and antiviral therapy (0.42/0.250-0.697). The 5-year overall survival rates were 70.2%, 57.3%, 49.6% and 10.7% for patients with positive LC3 expression in both tissue types, in the HCC tissues alone, in the ANT tissues alone, and in neither tissue type, respectively. The 5-year overall survival rates were 56.7%, 47.3%, 51.2% and 38.7% for patients with HBV-related HCC, cirrhosis, no antiviral therapy, and recurrent HCC, respectively, and these rates were significantly lower than those in their counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with recurrent HCC, HBV-related HCC, cirrhosis, and the absence of antiviral therapy showed significantly lower overall survival rates. Furthermore, LC3 expression in both the tumor and liver microenvironments were significantly predictive of overall survival after resection for HCC.

The Role of Circulating Free DNA and MicroRNA in Non-Invasive Diagnosis of HBV- and HCV-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third and the fifth leading cause of cancer related death worldwide in men and in women, respectively. HCC generally has a poor prognosis, with a very low 5-year overall survival, due to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Early tumour detection and timely intervention are the best strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality in HCC patients. Histological evaluation of liver biopsies is the gold standard for cancer diagnosis, although it is an invasive, time-consuming and expensive procedure. Recently, the analysis of circulating free DNA (cfDNA) and RNA molecules released by tumour cells in body fluids, such as blood serum, saliva and urine, has attracted great interest for development of diagnostic assays based on circulating liver cancer molecular biomarkers. Such "liquid biopsies" have shown to be useful for the identification of specific molecular signatures in nucleic acids released by cancer cells, such as gene mutations and altered methylation of DNA as well as variations in the levels of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Body fluids analysis may represent a valuable strategy to monitor liver disease progression in subjects chronically infected with hepatitis viruses or cancer relapse in HCC treated patients. Several studies showed that qualitative and quantitative assays evaluating molecular profiles of circulating cell-free nucleic acids could be successfully employed for early diagnosis and therapeutic management of HCC patients. This review describes the state of art on the use of liquid biopsy for cancer driver gene mutations, deregulated DNA methylation as well as miRNA levels in HCC diagnosis.

Preoperative platelet-albumin-bilirubin grades predict the prognosis of patients with hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma after liver resection: A retrospective study

Minimal information is available concerning platelet-albumin-bilirubin (PALBI) grades in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following liver resection. This study aimed to investigate the predictive ability of PALBI grades in patients with a Child-Pugh class A score and hepatitis B virus-related (HBV-related) HCC after liver resection.The data of patients with HBV-related HCC who underwent liver resection from 2010 to 2017 at our center were reviewed (n = 785). Cox regression was used to determine factors independently associated with postoperative recurrence and mortality. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to estimate the predictive accuracy of different tools.During the follow-up period, 505 (64.3%) patients experienced recurrence, and 374 (47.6%) patients died. Multivariate analysis revealed that the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (HR = 1.591, 95%CI = 1.414-1.789, P < .001), PALBI grade (HR = 1.326, 95%CI = 1.139-1.544, P < .001), a high AFP level (HR = 1.382, 95%CI = 1.158-1.649, P < .001) and transfusion (HR = 1.364, 95%CI = 1.087-1.712, P = 0.007) were independently associated with recurrence. Additionally, microvascular invasion (HR = 1.674, 95%CI = 1.292-2.169, P < .001), beyond the Milan criteria (HR = 0.477, 95%CI = 0.346-0.657, P < .001), PALBI grade (HR = 1.356, 95%CI = 1.151-1.598, P < .001), a high AFP level (HR = 1.542, 95%CI = 1.252-1.900, P < .001), and transfusion (HR = 1.548, 95%CI = 1.199-1.999, P = 0.001) adversely impacted the overall survival. The AUCs of the PALBI grades for postoperative recurrence and mortality were significantly higher than the albumin-bilirubin grade and Child-Pugh score. The prognostic significance of the PALBI grade for postoperative recurrence and mortality was maintained when stratified by the TNM stage.The preoperative PALBI grade is a surrogate marker for the postoperative prognosis in patients with HBV-related HCC after liver resection.

Correlation between smoking habit and surgical outcomes on viral-associated hepatocellular carcinomas

AIM

To investigate the association between smoking habits and surgical outcomes in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (B-HCC) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCC (C-HCC) and clarify the clinicopathological features associated with smoking status in B-HCC and C-HCC patients.

METHODS

We retrospectively examined the cases of the 341 consecutive patients with viral-associated HCC (C-HCC, n = 273; B-HCC, n = 68) who underwent curative surgery for their primary lesion. We categorized smoking status at the time of surgery into never, ex- and current smoker. We analyzed the B-HCC and C-HCC groups’ clinicopathological features and surgical outcomes, i.e., disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and disease-specific survival (DSS). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. We also performed subset analyses in both patient groups comparing the current smokers to the other patients.

RESULTS

The multivariate analysis in the C-HCC group revealed that current-smoker status was significantly correlated with both OS (P = 0.0039) and DSS (P = 0.0416). In the B-HCC patients, no significant correlation was observed between current-smoker status and DFS, OS, or DSS in the univariate or multivariate analyses. The subset analyses comparing the current smokers to the other patients in both the C-HCC and B-HCC groups revealed that the current smokers developed HCC at significantly younger ages than the other patients irrespective of viral infection status.

CONCLUSION

A smoking habit is significantly correlated with the overall and disease-specific survivals of patients with C-HCC. In contrast, the B-HCC patients showed a weak association between smoking status and surgical outcomes.

Lamivudine versus entecavir in the rescue of chemotherapy-induced hepatitis B flare-up

BACKGROUND

Lack of nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) prophylaxis prior to chemotherapy is a common problem worldwide. The efficacy of newer-generation NAs in the rescue for the hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation has not been confirmed. We aimed to compare lamivudine (LVD) and entecavir (ETV) in the rescue of chemotherapy-induced HBV flare-up.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort study, we screened all HBV carriers who received therapeutic LVD or ETV for hepatitis flare-up after chemotherapy between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2015. Patients who had other concurrent primary liver diseases such as chronic hepatitis C, who had baseline HBV viral load <2000 IU/ml or data unavailable, or those who had primary or secondary liver cancers were excluded. By means of propensity scores, LVD users were randomly matched 1:1 with ETV users. Cumulative incidences of, and hazard ratios (HRs) for, mortality at 6 months were analyzed, and 1-year virological responses were evaluated.

RESULTS

In total, 32 LVD and 32 ETV users were matched for outcome analysis, and their baseline characteristics were not significantly different. Comparing LVD users to ETV users, the 6-month liver-related mortality rates (6.3% vs. 12.5%, p = 0.47) and overall mortality rates (31.3% vs. 25%, p = 0.54) were not significantly different. In multivariate analysis, prothrombin time prolongation >4 s (HR: 10.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.55-74.93) and HBV viral load L (HR: 3.40 per 1 log IU/ml, 95% CI: 1.39-8.40) were independent prognostic factors for liver-related mortality. There was no drug resistance to LVD or ETV over the course of 1 year.

CONCLUSION

Clinical outcomes were not different between LVD and ETV users. Delayed detection of hepatitis flare-up with coagulopathy and a high viral load could result in a poor prognosis.

Prognostic factors of the short-term outcomes of patients with hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the impact of the baseline status of patients with hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure on short-term outcomes.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted that included a total of 138 patients with hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, from November 2013 to October 2016. The patients were divided into a poor prognosis group (74 patients) and a good prognosis group (64 patients) based on the disease outcome. General information, clinical indicators and prognostic scores of the patients' baseline status were analyzed, and a prediction model was established accordingly.

RESULTS

Elder age, treatment with artificial liver support systems and the frequency of such treatments, high levels of white blood cells, neutrophils, neutrophil count/lymphocyte count ratio, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, total bilirubin, urea, and prognostic scores as well as low levels of albumin and sodium were all significantly associated with the short-term outcomes of hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure. The predictive model showed that logit (p) = 3.068 + 1.003 × neutrophil count/lymphocyte count ratio - 0.892 × gamma-glutamyl transferase - 1.138 × albumin - 1.364 × sodium + 1.651 × artificial liver support therapy.

CONCLUSION

The neutrophil count/lymphocyte count ratio and serum levels of gamma-glutamyl transferase, albumin and sodium were independent risk factors predicting short-term outcomes of hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure, and the administration of multiple treatments with artificial liver support therapy during the early stage is conducive to improved short-term outcomes.

Korean Patients Undergoing Deceased Donor Liver Transplantation for Alcoholic Liver Disease Have Non-Inferior Survival Outcomes than for Hepatitis B Virus: a Real-World Experience without Minimum Abstinence before Transplantation

Few studies have compared outcomes in patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in Asian countries in which living donor LT (LDLT) is dominant, where HBV is endemic and where there are no strict regulations on pre-transplant abstinence for ALD. This study compared post-LT outcomes of deceased donor LT (DDLT) in patients with ALD and HBV. Data from 220 patients who underwent primary DDLT at Seoul National University Hospital from January 2010 to December 2014, including 107 with HBV and 38 with ALD, were retrospectively analyzed. Seventy-four patients (69.2%) in the HBV group and 30 (78.9%) in the ALD group had United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) status 2A (P = 0.250). There were no significant differences in their 1-year (90.7% vs. 92.1%) and 3-year (82.1% vs. 82.3%) overall survival rates (P = 1.000). Multivariate analysis showed that high serum gamma glutamyltransferase concentration (≥ 70 IU/L) was independently prognostic of 1-year post-LT overall survival. Survival outcomes following DDLT were similar in Korean patients with ALD and HBV, even in the absence of strict pre-transplant abstinence from alcohol as a selection criterion.

Prognostic value of immunoscore to identify mortality outcomes in adults with HBV-related primary hepatocellular carcinoma

This study aimed to determine if the immunoscore (IS) staging system would be a potential prognostic factor in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC) in China.IS was performed in a consecutive cohort of HBV-HCC patients (n= 92). CD3+, CD8+, and CD45RO+ T cells were quantified by immunohistochemical analyses. The patients were stratified into 5 IS groups: I0, I1, I2, I3, I4 for every 2 cell phenotypes (IS1 (CD8/CD45RO, IS2 (CD3/CD8), and IS3 (CD3/CD45RO), respectively. ImagePro Plus software was used in the calculation of the paraffin-embedded tumor sections.The staining of CD3+, CD8+, and CD45RO+ cells in the HBV-HCC tissue demonstrated that there were higher density and larger area of lymphocytes in the invasive margins (IM) region than in the center (CT). Univariate analysis showed that preoperative TNM staging (P = .01), serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) level (P = .03), vascular invasion (P = .00), and density of CD3+T (CT) (P = 0.01) were correlated significantly with disease-free survival (DFS); serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level (P = .02), tumor size (P = .00), serum cholinesterase (CHE) (P = .04), and GGT level (P = .01), density of CD3+T(CT) (P = .00), CD8+T(CT)(P = .00), CD45RO+T(CT) (P = .00), and CD45RO+T (IM) (P = .02) were correlated with overall survival (OS). Multivariate analysis showed that TNM staging was not an independent prognostic factor of DFS and OS. Our results showed ISs did not have a significantly correlation with DFS (P = .35, .19, and .07, respectively), but it was correlated significantly with OS (P = .00, .00, and .00, respectively). There were statistical differences among the OS of every ISs subgroup except I0 and I1 by the Cox regressions analysis.The IS staging was closely related to the outcome of patients. It can compensate the TNM tumor classification system in predicting the prognosis of HBV-HCC patients.

Serum soluble ST2 is a promising prognostic biomarker in HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure

BACKGROUND

The IL-33/ST2 axis is involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases such as autoimmune diseases, cancer, and heart failure. However, studies of the IL-33/ST2 pathway in HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) are lacking. The present study aimed to determine the prognostic role of serum IL-33/soluble ST2 (sST2) in HBV-ACLF.

METHODS

Serum levels of IL-33 and sST2 in healthy controls (HC, n=18), chronic hepatitis B (CHB, n=27) and HBV-ACLF (n=51) patients at the 1st and 4th week after enrollment were detected using ELISA, and clinical data were collected. The follow-up of HBV-ACLF patients lasted for 6 months at least.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference of serum IL-33 level among HC, CHB and HBV-ACLF patients at week 1. However, serum sST2 level differed significantly among the three groups: highest in the HBV-ACLF group, moderate in the CHB group and lowest in the HC group. There was a reverse correlation between serum sST2 level and the survival of HBV-ACLF patients. The level of serum sST2 in HBV-ACLF survivors was significantly declined from week 1 to week 4 following the treatment, whereas that in HBV-ACLF non-survivors remained at a high level during the same period. Furthermore, serum sST2 level was significantly correlated with laboratory parameters and the most updated prognostic scores (CLIF-C OF score, CLIF-C ACLF score and ACLF grades). The receiver operating characteristics curves demonstrated that serum sST2 level was a good diagnostic marker for predicting the 6-month mortality in HBV-ACLF patients, comparable to the most updated prognostic scores. Serum sST2 cut-off points for predicting prognosis in HBV-ACLF patients were 76 ng/mL at week 1 or 53 ng/mL at week 4, respectively. HBV-ACLF patients with serum sST2 level above the cut-off point often had a worse prognosis than those below the cut-off point.

CONCLUSION

Serum sST2 may act as a promising biomarker to assess severity and predict prognosis of patients with HBV-ACLF and help for the early identification and optimal treatment of HBV-ACLF patients at high risk of mortality.

Pharmacological interventions for acute hepatitis B infection: an attempted network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) can be symptomatic or asymptomatic. Apart from chronic HBV infection, the complications related to acute HBV infection are severe acute viral hepatitis and fulminant hepatitis characterised by liver failure. The optimal pharmacological treatment of acute HBV infection remains controversial.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the benefits and harms of pharmacological interventions in the treatment of acute HBV infection through a network meta-analysis and to generate rankings of the available treatments according to their safety and efficacy. As it was not possible to assess whether the potential effect modifiers were similar across different comparisons, we did not perform the network meta-analysis, and instead, assessed the benefits and harms of different interventions using standard Cochrane methodological procedures.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, Science Citation Index Expanded, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and randomised clinical trials (RCTs) registers to August 2016 to identify RCTs on pharmacological interventions for acute HBV infection.

SELECTION CRITERIA

RCTs, irrespective of language, blinding, or publication status in participants with acute HBV infection. We excluded trials if participants had previously undergone liver transplantation and had other coexisting viral diseases such as hepatitis C virus and HIV. We considered any of the various pharmacological interventions compared with each other or with placebo, or no intervention.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We calculated the odds ratio (OR) and rate ratio with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using both fixed-effect and random-effects models based on available-participant analysis with Review Manager 5. We assessed risk of bias, controlled risk of random errors with Trial Sequential Analysis, and assessed the quality of the evidence using GRADE.

MAIN RESULTS

Seven trials (597 participants) met our review inclusion criteria. All trials provided information for one or more outcomes; however, five participants were excluded from analysis by study authors. All the trials were at high risk of bias. Overall, all the evidence was low or very low quality evidence because of risk of bias (downgraded one level for risk of bias), small sample size (downgraded one level for imprecision), and wide CIs (downgraded one more level for imprecision in some comparisons). Of the seven trials, six were two-armed trials, while one trial was a three-armed trial. The comparisons included hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) versus placebo (one trial; 55 participants); interferon versus placebo (two trials; 200 participants); lamivudine versus placebo or no intervention (four trials; 316 participants); lamivudine versus entecavir (one trial; 90 participants); and entecavir versus no intervention (one trial; 131 participants). One trial included only people with acute HBV with hepatic encephalopathy (i.e. people with fulminant liver failure); one trial included only people with severe acute HBV, but it did not state whether any of the people also had fulminant HBV infection; three trials excluded fulminant HBV infection; and two trials did not report the severity of acute HBV infection. The mean or median follow-up period in the trials ranged from three to 12 months in the trials that provided this information.There was no evidence of any differences in short-term mortality (less than one year) in any of the comparisons: HBIG versus placebo (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.36 to 3.54; participants = 55; 1 trial), lamivudine versus placebo or no intervention (OR 1.29, 95% CI 0.33 to 4.99; participants = 250; 2 trials); lamivudine versus entecavir (OR 1.23, 95% CI 0.13 to 11.65; participants = 90; 1 trial), or entecavir versus no intervention (OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.12 to 9.47; participants = 131; 1 trial). The proportion of people who progressed to chronic HBV infection was higher in the lamivudine group than the placebo or no intervention group (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.05 to 3.77; participants = 285; 3 trials) and in the lamivudine group versus entecavir group (OR 3.64, 95% CI 1.31 to 10.13; participants = 90; 1 trial). There was no evidence of a difference in the proportion of people who progressed to chronic HBV infection between the entecavir and the no intervention groups (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.23 to 1.49; participants = 131; 1 trial). None of the trials reported progression to fulminant HBV infection. Three trials with 371 participants reported serious adverse events. There were no serious adverse events in any of the groups (no intervention: 0/183 (0%), interferon: 0/67 (0%), lamivudine: 0/100 (0%), and entecavir: 0/21 (0%)). The proportion of people with adverse events was higher in the interferon group than the placebo group (OR 348.16, 95% CI 45.39 to 2670.26; participants = 200; 2 trials). There was no evidence of a difference in the proportion of people with adverse events between the lamivudine group and the placebo or no intervention group (OR 1.42, 95% CI 0.34 to 5.94; participants = 35; 1 trial) or number of adverse events between the lamivudine group and the placebo or no intervention group (rate ratio 1.72, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.91; participants = 35; 1 trial). One trial with 100 participants reported quality of life at one week. The scale used to report the health-related quality of life was not stated and lacked information on whether higher score meant better or worse, making it difficult to interpret the results. None of the trials reported quality of life beyond one week or other clinical outcomes such as mortality beyond one year, liver transplantation, cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma.Two trials received funding from pharmaceutical companies; three trials were funded by parties without any vested interest in the results or did not receive any special funding; the source of funding was not available in the remaining two trials.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Low or very low quality evidence suggests that progression to chronic HBV infection was higher in people receiving lamivudine compared with placebo, no intervention, or entecavir. Low quality evidence suggests that interferon may increase the adverse events after treatment for acute HBV infection. Based on a very low quality evidence, there is currently no evidence of benefit of any intervention in acute HBV infection. There is significant uncertainty in the results and further RCTs are required.

Impact of disease stage and aetiology on survival in hepatocellular carcinoma: implications for surveillance

BACKGROUND

Variation in survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been attributed to different aetiologies or disease stages at presentation. While international guidelines recommend surveillance of high-risk groups to permit early diagnosis and curative treatment, the evidence that surveillance decreases disease-specific mortality is weak.

METHODS

We compared HCC survival figures from Japan (n=1174) and Hong Kong (n=1675) over similar time periods (Japan 2000-2013, Hong Kong, China 2003-2014). The former has an intensive national surveillance programme, while the latter has none. We also analysed changes in survival in Japan over a 50-year period including data from before and after institution of a national HCC surveillance programme.

RESULTS

In Japan, over 75% of cases are currently detected by surveillance, whereas in Hong Kong <20% of cases are detected presymptomatically. Median survival was 52 months in Japan and 17.8 months in Hong Kong; this survival advantage persisted after allowance for lead-time bias. Sixty-two per cent of Japanese patients had early disease at diagnosis and 63% received curative treatment. The comparable figures for Hong Kong were 31.7% and 44.1%, respectively. These differences could not be accounted for by disease aetiology, and patients in Hong Kong who were detected at an early stage had a similar survival to the analogous patients in Japan.

CONCLUSIONS

The variation in survival is largely accounted for by stage at diagnosis, which in turn relates to the intensity of surveillance programmes and the consequent variation in curative therapeutic options.

Treatment of fulminant acute Hepatitis B with nucles(t)id analogues is safe and does not lead to secondary chronification of Hepatitis B

Background: Acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is still a major cause of acute liver failure (ALF), necessitating a high rate of emergency liver transplantation (LTx). Acute infection is followed by high viral replication rates leading to hepatocyte death and, ultimately, ALF. The objective of treating HBV-induced ALF thus is to eliminate, or significantly suppress, HBV replication and therefore reduce cell death and support regeneration. Objective: In this retrospective study, we want to evaluate the timing, the safety, and the long-term virological outcome of this approach. Methods/results: In this study, we included 32 patients (16 female and 16 males; median age 39.5 years) with ALF due to hepatitis B, who were transferred to the university hospital Essen, Germany between January 2009 and December 2013. Before treatment, transaminases were highly elevated, bilirubin was increased, and elevated international normalized ratio (INR) revealed impaired liver function. HBV-DNA and HBsAg were positive. All 32 patients received oral antiviral treatment (3 lamivudine, 21 entecavir, and 8 tenofovir) between 1 day and 4 months after diagnosis of acute hepatitis B. One patient died, 2 were transplanted, one died shortly after LTx the other patient survived after LTx. These 3 patients received treatment in a state of advanced liver failure, and 1 patient 4 months after initial diagnosis of hepatitis B. Twenty-nine patients survived without LTx. Five patients were discharged without further follow-up. All 24 remaining patients became HBV-DNA negative in median of 100 days. Twenty-two patients were followed further, and all patients lost their HBsAg in median of 108 days. Sixteen of the 22 patients experienced a seroconversion to anti-HBs in median of 137 days. Four patients who were followed for 1 more year after HBsAg did not develop anti-HBs. None of the patients developed chronic hepatitis B. Conclusion: Immediate treatment of HBV-induced ALF with nucleos(t)id-analogues (NUCs) appears save and prevents LTx and death, and there is no indication for increased chronicity.

Diabetes mellitus may affect the long-term survival of hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma patients after liver transplantation

AIM

To determine whether diabetes mellitus (DM) affects prognosis/recurrence after liver transplantation (LT) for hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted between January 2000 and August 2013 on 1631 patients with HBV-related HCC who underwent LT with antiviral prophylaxis. Patient data were obtained from the China Liver Transplant Registry (https://www.cltr.org/). To compare the outcomes and tumor recurrence in the HBV-related HCC patients with or without DM, statistical analyses were conducted using χ² tests, Mann-Whitney tests, the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank tests and multivariate step-wise Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis of 1631 patients who underwent LT found overall 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates of 79%, 73% and 71% respectively in the DM patients, and 84%, 78% and 76% in the non-DM patients respectively. Overall survival rate differences after LT between the two groups were significant (P = 0.041), but recurrence-free survival rates were not (P = 0.096). By stratified analysis, the overall survival rates in DM patients for age > 50 years (P = 0.002), the presence of vascular invasion (P = 0.096), tumors ≤ 3 cm (P = 0.047), two to three tumor nodules (P = 0.007), Child-Pugh grade B (P = 0.018), and pre-LT alanine aminotransferase levels between 40 and 80 IU/L (P = 0.017) were significantly lower than in non-DM patients. Additionally, serum α-fetoprotein level > 2000 ng/mL (P = 0.052) was associated with a significant survival difference trend between DM and non-DM patients. Multivariate analysis showed that the presence of DM (P < 0.001, HR = 1.591; 95%CI: 1.239-2.041) was an independent predictor associated with poor survival after LT.

CONCLUSION

HBV-related HCC patients with DM have decreased long-term overall survival and poor LT outcomes. Prevention strategies for HCC patients with DM are recommended.

A new multiparameter integrated MELD model for prognosis of HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure

Hepatitis B virus related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is one of the most deadly diseases. Many models have been proposed to evaluate the prognosis of it. However, these models are still controversial. In this study, we aimed to incorporate some characters into model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) to establish a new reliable and feasible model for the prognosis of HBV-ACLF.A total of 530 HBV-ACLF patients who had received antiviral therapy were enrolled into a retrospective study and divided into the training cohort (300) and validation cohort (230). Logistic regression analysis was used to establish a model to predict the 3-month mortality from the patients in the training cohort, and then, the new model was evaluated in the validation cohort.Except for MELD score, 4 other independent factors, namely degree of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), white blood cell (WBC) count, and age, were important for the new model called HBV-ACLF MELD (HAM) model: R = 0.174 × MELD + 1.106 × HE - (0.003 × AFP) + (0.237 × WBC) + (0.103 × Age) - 11.388. The areas under receiver-operating characteristic curve of HAM in the training and validation cohort were 0.894 and 0.868, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of other 7 models. With the best cut-off value of -1.191, HAM achieved higher sensitivity and negative predictive value.We developed a new model that has a great prognostic value of the 3-month mortality of patients with HBV-ACLF.

Impact of Universal Hepatitis B Vaccination on Prevalence, Infection-Associated Morbidity and Mortality, and Circulation of Immune Escape Variants in Russia

Vaccination of newborns against hepatitis B (HB) was introduced in Russia in 1998. Since then the incidence of acute HB has rapidly declined. However, prevalence of chronic HB remains stable. The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of vaccination on HBV-associated morbidity, and to assess the prevalence of HBV immune escape variants after 10 years of vaccination.

High-dose hepatitis B immunoglobulin therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma with hepatitis B virus-DNA/hepatitis B e antigen-positive patients after living donor liver transplantation

AIM: To investigate the impact of high-dose hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) recurrence and overall survival after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

METHODS: We investigated 168 patients who underwent LDLT due to HCC, and who were HBV-DNA/hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) -positive, from January 2008 to December 2013. After assessing whether the patients met the Milan criteria, they were assigned to the low-dose HBIG group and high-dose HBIG group. Using the propensity score 1:1 matching method, 38 and 18 pairs were defined as adhering to and not adhering to the Milan criteria. For each pair, HCC recurrence, HBV recurrence and overall survival were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and the log rank test according to the HBIG dose.

RESULTS: Among those who met the Milan criteria, the 6-mo, 1-year, and 3-year HCC recurrence-free survival rates were 88.9%, 83.2%, and 83.2% in the low-dose HBIG group and 97.2%, 97.2%, and 97.2% in the high-dose HBIG group, respectively (P = 0.042). In contrast, among those who did not meet the Milan criteria, HCC recurrence did not differ according to the HBIG dose (P = 0.937). Moreover, HBV recurrence and overall survival did not differ according to the HBIG dose among those who met (P = 0.317 and 0.190, respectively) and did not meet (P = 0.350 and 0.987, respectively) the Milan criteria.

CONCLUSION: High-dose HBIG therapy can reduce HCC recurrence in HBV-DNA/HBeAg-positive patients after LDLT.

Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus play different prognostic roles in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A meta-analysis

AIM: To identify the prognostic value of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

METHODS: A search was performed for relevant publications in PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science databases. The pooled effects were calculated from the available information to identify the relationship between HBV or HCV infection and the prognosis and clinicopathological features. The χ² and I² tests were used to evaluate heterogeneity between studies. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by a fixed-effects model, if no heterogeneity existed. If there was heterogeneity, a random-effects model was applied.

RESULTS: In total, 14 studies involving 2842 cases were enrolled in this meta-analysis. The patients with HBV infection presented better overall and disease-free survival, and the pooled HRs were significant at 0.76 (95%CI: 0.70-0.83) and 0.78 (95%CI: 0.66-0.94), respectively. Additionally, our study revealed that HCV infection was correlated with shortened overall survival in comparison with the control group (HR = 2.64, 95%CI: 1.77-3.93). We also found that HBV infection occurred more frequently in male patients [odds ratio (OR) = 1.91, 95%CI: 1.06-3.44] and was correlated with higher levels of serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) (OR = 1.93, 95%CI: 1.11-3.35; OR = 3.86, 95%CI: 2.58-5.78) and a lower level of serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) (OR = 0.47, 95%CI: 0.34-0.65). Moreover, HBV infection was associated with cirrhosis (OR = 6.44, 95%CI: 4.33-9.56), a higher proportion of capsule formation (OR = 6.04, 95%CI: 3.56-10.26), and a lower rate of lymph node metastasis (OR = 0.39, 95%CI: 0.25-0.58). No significant publication bias was seen in any of the enrolled studies.

CONCLUSION: HBV infection may indicate a favorable prognosis in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, while HCV infection suggests a poor prognosis.

Differential Effect of Viral Hepatitis Infection on Mortality among Korean Maintenance Dialysis Patients: A Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study

The role of infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in terms of survival among dialysis patients remains incompletely understood. In the present multicenter prospective cohort study, we investigated the prevalences of HBV and HCV infection among 3,321 patients receiving maintenance dialysis in Korea, and assessed the impacts of these infections on survival. All included patients underwent hepatitis B antigen (HBsAg) and HCV antibody (Ab) testing, which revealed that 236 patients (7.1%) were HBsAg-positive, and 123 patients (3.7%) were HCV Ab-positive. HBsAg-positive and HCV Ab-positive patients were matched to hepatitis virus-negative patients using a propensity score at a ratio of 1:2. The prevalences of HBV and HCV infection did not significantly differ according to dialysis modality. Linear-by-linear association analysis revealed that hepatitis B prevalence significantly increased with increasing dialysis vintage (p = 0.001), and hepatitis C prevalence tended to be higher with increasing dialysis vintage (p = 0.074). We compared the survival of HBsAg-positive and HCV Ab-positive patients to that of hepatitis virus-negative patients. After propensity score matching, cumulative survival did not differ between HBsAg-positive and HBsAg-negative patients (p = 0.37), while HCV Ab-positive patients showed significantly lower survival than HCV Ab-negative patients (p = 0.03). The main conclusions of the present study are that HBV infection prevalence increased with longer dialysis vintage, and that both HBV and HCV infections were most prevalent among patients with the longest dialysis vintage. Additionally, HCV infection among maintenance dialysis patients is associated with an increased risk of mortality.

Management of hepatitis B virus infection during treatment for hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Although liver resection is considered the most effective treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), treatment outcomes are unsatisfactory because of the high rate of HCC recurrence. Since we reported hepatitis B e-antigen positivity and high serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA concentrations are strong risk factors for HCC recurrence after curative resection of HBV-related HCC in the early 2000s, many investigators have demonstrated the effects of viral status on HCC recurrence and post-treatment outcomes. These findings suggest controlling viral status is important to prevent HCC recurrence and improve survival after curative treatment for HBV-related HCC. Antiviral therapy after curative treatment aims to improve prognosis by preventing HCC recurrence and maintaining liver function. Therapy with interferon and nucleos(t)ide analogs may be useful for preventing HCC recurrence and improving overall survival in patients who have undergone curative resection for HBV-related HCC. In addition, reactivation of viral replication can occur after liver resection for HBV-related HCC. Antiviral therapy can be recommended for patients to prevent HBV reactivation. Nevertheless, further studies are required to establish treatment guidelines for patients with HBV-related HCC.

Liver transplantation for hepatitis B virus: Decreasing indication and changing trends

AIM: To evaluate the indication and outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver transplantation (LT) in the era of newer antiviral agents.

METHODS: We collected data on all patients who underwent transplantation at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center. These data included demographic, perioperative and long-term postoperative follow-up data including viral serological markers, HBV DNA, and repeated liver imaging. Between January 1990 and January 2012, 133 patients (106 males and 27 females) underwent LT for HBV-related cirrhosis at our center. All patients were followed up frequently during the first year following transplantation, according to our standard protocol; follow-up visits occurred every 3-6 mo thereafter. Breakthrough infection was defined as re-emergence of HBV-DNA or hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) while on treatment. Five patients transplanted prior to 1992 did not receive immediate posttransplant anti-HBV prophylaxis; all other patients were treated with HBIG and at least one nucleos(t)ide analog.

RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-three patients underwent LT for HBV and were followed for a median of 82 mo (range: 1-274). The rates of post-LT survival and HBV recurrence during the follow-up period were 89% and 11%, respectively. The following factors were associated with disease recurrence: younger age (44.3 ± 16.2 years vs 51.4 ± 9.9 years, P = 0.02), positive pretransplant hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) (60% vs 14%, P < 0.0001), detectable pretransplant HBV DNA (60% vs 27%, P = 0.03), positive posttransplant HBsAg (80% vs 4%, P < 0.0001) and positive posttransplant HBeAg (27% vs 1%, P < 0.0001). Forty-four (33%) patients had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the first (pre-2007) group, HBV was the second leading indication for LT after hepatitis C virus infection. A total of 64 transplants were performed, including 46 (72%) for decompensated HBV cirrhosis, 12 (19%) for decompensated cirrhosis complicated by HCC and 6 (10%) for compensated cirrhosis complicated by HCC. In the second group, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis surpassed HBV as the second leading indication for LT. A total of 69 HBV related transplants were performed, including 43 (62%) for decompensated HBV cirrhosis, 7 (10%) for decompensated cirrhosis complicated by HCC and 19 (27.5%) for compensated cirrhosis complicated by HCC. There was a significant (P = 0.007) increase in the number of transplants for compensated cirrhosis complicated by HCC.

CONCLUSION: The use of potent anti-HBV agents has led to a changing trend in the indications for LT. HBV is currently the third leading indication for LT in this hyperendemic area.

Inflammation scores predict survival for hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma patients after transarterial chemoembolization

AIM: To compare the prognostic ability of inflammation scores for patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).

METHODS: Data of 224 consecutive patients who underwent TACE for unresectable HBV-related HCC from September 2009 to November 2011 were retrieved from a prospective database. The association of inflammation scores with clinicopathologic variables and overall survival (OS) were analyzed, and receiver operating characteristic curves were generated, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to evaluate the discriminatory ability of each inflammation score and staging system, including tumor-node-metastasis, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer, and Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) scores.

RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 390 d, the one-, two-, and three-year OS were 38.4%, 18.3%, and 11.1%, respectively, and the median OS was 390 d. The Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), modifed GPS, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, and Prognostic Index were associated with OS. The GPS consistently had a higher AUC value at 6 mo (0.702), 12 mo (0.676), and 24 mo (0.687) in comparison with other inflammation scores. CLIP consistently had a higher AUC value at 6 mo (0.656), 12 mo (0.711), and 24 mo (0.721) in comparison with tumor-node-metastasis and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging systems. Multivariate analysis revealed that alanine aminotransferase, GPS, and CLIP were independent prognostic factors for OS. The combination of GPS and CLIP (AUC = 0.777) was superior to CLIP or GPS alone in prognostic ability for OS.

CONCLUSION: The prognostic ability of GPS is superior to other inflammation scores for HCC patients undergoing TACE. Combining GPS and CLIP improved the prognostic power for OS.

Different survival of Barcelona clinic liver cancer stage C hepatocellular carcinoma patients by the extent of portal vein invasion and the type of extrahepatic spread

Portal vein invasion (PVI) and extrahepatic spread (ES) are two tumor-related factors that define advanced stage in the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system (BCLC stage C), and the recommended first line therapy in this stage is sorafenib. However, the extent of PVI and the type of ES may affect patient prognosis as well as treatment outcome. This study analyzed survival of BCLC stage C HCC patients in order to see whether sub-classification of BCLC stage C is necessary. A total of 582 treatment naïve, BCLC stage C HCC patients [age: 54.3 ± 10.8 years, males = 494 (84.9%), hepatitis B virus (458, 78.7%)], defined by PVI and/or ES, were analyzed. Extent of PVI was divided into none, type I-segmental/sectoral branches, type II-left and/or right portal vein, and type III-main portal vein trunk. Type of ES was divided into nodal and distant metastasis. The extent of PVI and type of ES were independent factors for survival. When patients were sub-classified according to the extent of PVI and type of ES, the median survival was significantly different [11.7 months, 5.7 months, 4.9 months and 2.3 months for C1 (PVI-O/I without distant ES), C2 (PVI-II/III without distant ES), C3 (PVI-0/I with distant ES), and C4 (PVI-II/III with distant ES), respectively, P = 0.01]. Patients' survival was different according to the treatment modality in each sub-stage. Sub-classification of BCLC stage C according to the extent of PVI and type of ES resulted in a better prediction of survival. Also, different outcome was observed by treatment modalities in each sub-stage. Sub-classification of BCLC stage C is required to minimize heterogeneity within the same tumor stage, that will help better predict survival and to select optimal treatment strategies.

Prophylactic antiviral therapy in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in hepatitis B virus patients

AIM: To investigate the timing, safety and efficacy of prophylactic antiviral therapy in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

METHODS: This prospective study recruited a total of 57 patients diagnosed with malignant hematological diseases and HBV infection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between 2006 and 2013. The patients were classified as hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive or HBsAg-negative/ antiHBc-positive. Patients were treated with chemotherapy followed by antiviral therapy with nucleoside analogues. Patients underwent allo-HSCT when serum HBV DNA was < 10³ IU/mL. Following allo-HSCT, antiviral therapy was continued for 1 year after the discontinuation of immunosuppressive therapy. A total of 105 patients who underwent allo-HSCT and had no HBV infection were recruited as controls. The three groups were compared for incidence of graft-vs-host disease (GVHD), drug-induced liver injury, hepatic veno-occlusive disease, death and survival time.

RESULTS: A total of 29 of the 41 subjects with chronic GVHD exhibited extensive involvement and 12 exhibited focal involvement. Ten of the 13 subjects with chronic GVHD in the HBsAg(-)/hepatitis B core antibody(+) group exhibited extensive involvement and 3 exhibited focal involvement. Five of the 10 subjects with chronic GVHD in the HBsAg(+) group exhibited extensive involvement and 5 exhibited focal involvement. The non HBV-infected group did not differ significantly from the HBsAg-negative/antiHBc-positive and the HBsAg-positive groups which were treated with nucleoside analogues in the incidence of graft-vs-host disease (acute GVHD; 37.1%, 46.9% and 40%, respectively; P = 0.614; chronic GVHD; 39%, 40.6% and 40%, respectively; P = 0.98), drug-induced liver injury (25.7%, 18.7% and 28%, respectively; P = 0.7), death (37.1%, 40.6% and 52%, respectively; P = 0.4) and survival times (P = 0.516). One patient developed HBV reactivation (HBsAg-positivity) due to early discontinuation of antiviral therapy.

CONCLUSION: Suppression of HBV DNA to < 10³ IU/mL before transplantation, continued antiviral therapy and close monitoring of immune markers and HBV DNA after transplantation may assure the safety of allo-HSCT.

Effect of adjuvant interferon therapy on hepatitis b/c virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma after curative therapy - meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the fifth most common malignant cancer in the world. Liver resection and local ablation are the most effective therapeutic approaches for most HCC patients. Recurrence after curative therapy is very common. Some studies reveal that IFNs have an effect on recurrence. While the opinion is disagreement.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate whether interferon therapy could reduce the recurrence of patients of hepatitis B/C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma after curative therapy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

All randomized controlled trials about interferon on recurrence of hepatitis B/C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma patients after curative surgery treatment were searched from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library (all from 1977 to January 2014). Two reviewers independently assessed the quality of each included study and extracted data. RevMan 5.1 was used for meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Pooled data analysis revealed that the interferon group had no statistical significance on the recurrence of hepatitis-related hepatocellular carcinoma compared to the control group (RR=0.91, 95% CI, 0.82 to 1.00; p=0.11). While from the subgroup analysis of adjuvant interferon can reduce the recurrence of the median tumor size below 3 cm (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.35-0.72; p=0.00002).

CONCLUSIONS

Adjuvant IFN after curative treatment of hepatitis-related HCC can improve the survival of HCC patients. In addition, IFN could decrease the recurrence rate of HCC patient with median tumor size below 3 cm but not exceeding 3 cm.

[Curative effect of anti-HBV treatment in advanced schistosomiasis patients with ascites and HIBV infection]

OBJECTIVE

To improve the curative effect of advanced schistosomiasis patients with ascites and HBV infection.

METHODS

A total of 27 advanced schistosomiasis patients with ascites and HBV infection were selected as a trial group and given with anti-HBV treatment, and 31 corresponding patients were as the controls and did not received anti-HBV treatment from February 2003 to December 2012.

RESULTS

The incidence of ascites recurrence, spontaneous peritonitis, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and primary liver cancer in the trial group were significantly lower than those in the control group. The detection indexes of liver function, renal function and prothrombin time in the trial group were superior to those in the control group. The mortality in the treatment group was also significantly lower than that in the control group.

CONCLUSION

The anti-HBV treatment in the advanced schistosomiasis patients with ascites and HBV infection can obviously improve their physical conditions, the survival rate, and their life qualities.

[Analysis on morbidity and mortality of viral hepatitis in China, 2004-2013]

OBJECTIVE

To understand the incidence and death patterns of viral hepatitis in China and provide evidence for the prevention and control of viral hepatitis.

METHODS

The analysis was conducted on the incidence and death data of viral hepatitis published by National Health and Family Planning Commission during 2004-2013.

RESULTS

The incidences of viral hepatitis in Guizhou,Yunnan, Tibet, Gansu, Qinghai,Ningxia and Xinjiang provinces (autonomous region) were high. The major forms were hepatitis B (80.63/100 000) and hepatitis C (9.68/100 000), accounting for 80.90% and 9.25% of the total reported viral hepatitis cases respectively. The incidences of hepatitis A and unidentified hepatitis decreased and the incidence of hepatitis B, C and E increased during this period. During the 10 years, 10 008 deaths caused by viral hepatitis were reported (1 001 deaths per year). The reported deaths caused by hepatitis A, hepatitis E and unidentified hepatitis decreased during this period. The reported deaths caused by hepatitis B were in a downward trend, but the constituent in total cases remained high. The reported deaths caused by hepatitis C were in an upward trend.

CONCLUSION

During 2004-2013, the overall incidence of viral hepatitis showed no downward trend in China. The incidence of hepatitis B remained high, and the incidence of hepatitis C showed an obvious upward trend. The overall death rate and case fatality rate of viral hepatitis showed a downward trend, but hepatitis B remained the main cause of viral hepatitis related death, and the death caused by hepatitis C was in increase. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are the major targets in the prevention and treatment of viral hepatitis in China, and the 7 western provinces (autonomous region) with high incidences are the key regions of the prevention and control.

Prognosis after resection for hepatitis B virus-associated intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

AIM: To investigate the prognostic factors after resection for hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and to assess the impact of different extents of lymphadenectomy on patient survival.

METHODS: A total of 85 patients with HBV-associated ICC who underwent curative resection from January 2005 to December 2006 were analyzed. The patients were classified into groups according to the extent of lymphadenectomy (no lymph node dissection, sampling lymph node dissection and regional lymph node dissection). Clinicopathological characteristics and survival were reviewed retrospectively.

RESULTS: The cumulative 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were found to be 60%, 18%, and 13%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that liver cirrhosis (HR = 1.875, 95%CI: 1.197-3.278, P = 0.008) and multiple tumors (HR = 2.653, 95%CI: 1.562-4.508, P < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors for survival. Recurrence occurred in 70 patients. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year disease-free survival rates were 36%, 3% and 0%, respectively. Liver cirrhosis (HR = 1.919, P = 0.012), advanced TNM stage (stage III/IV) (HR = 2.027, P < 0.001), and vascular invasion (HR = 3.779, P = 0.02) were independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival. Patients with regional lymph node dissection demonstrated a similar survival rate to patients with sampling lymph node dissection. Lymphadenectomy did not significantly improve the survival rate of patients with negative lymph node status.

CONCLUSION: The extent of lymphadenectomy does not seem to have influence on the survival of patients with HBV-associated ICC, and routine lymph node dissection is not recommended, particularly for those without lymph node metastasis.

Prophylaxis against hepatitis B virus recurrence after liver transplantation: A registry study

AIM: To evaluate the prophylactic efficacy of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) in combination with different nucleos(t)ide analogues.

METHODS: A total of 5333 hepatitis B surface antigen-positive patients from the China Liver Transplant Registry database were enrolled between January 2000 and December 2009. Low-dose intramuscular (im) HBIG combined with one nucleos(t)ide analogue has been shown to be very cost-effective in recent reports. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) prophylactic outcomes were compared based on their posttransplant prophylactic protocols [group A (n = 4684): im HBIG plus lamivudine; group B (n = 491): im HBIG plus entecavir; group C (n = 158): im HBIG plus adefovir dipivoxil]. We compared the related baseline characteristics among the three groups, including the age, male sex, Meld score at the time of transplantation, Child-Pugh score at the time of transplantation, HCC, pre-transplantation hepatitis B e antigen positivity, pre-transplantation HBV deoxyribonucleic acid (HBV DNA) positivity, HBV DNA at the time of transplantation, pre-transplantation antiviral therapy, and the duration of antiviral therapy before transplantation of the patients. We also calculated the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates and HBV recurrence rates according to the different groups. All potential risk factors were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS: The mean follow-up duration was 42.1 ± 30.3 mo. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were lower in group A than in groups B (86.2% vs 94.4%, 76.9% vs 86.6%, 73.7% vs 82.4%, respectively, P < 0.001) and C (86.2% vs 92.5%, 76.9% vs 73.7%, 87.0% vs 81.6%, respectively, P < 0.001). The 1-, 3- and 5-year posttransplant HBV recurrence rates were significantly higher in group A than in group B (1.7% vs 0.5%, 3.5% vs 1.5%, 4.7% vs 1.5%, respectively, P = 0.023). No significant difference existed between groups A and C and between groups B and C with respect to the 1-, 3- and 5-year HBV recurrence rates. Pretransplant hepatocellular carcinoma, high viral load and posttransplant prophylactic protocol (lamivudine and HBIG vs entecavir and HBIG) were associated with HBV recurrence.

CONCLUSION: Low-dose intramuscular HBIG in combination with a nucleos(t)ide analogue provides effective prophylaxis against posttransplant HBV recurrence, especially for HBIG plus entecavir.

Viral Hepatitis in Pregnancy--A study of its Effect on Maternal and Foetal Outcome

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The outcome of Hepatitis during pregnancy has been observed to be widely different by various authors, ranging from the benign to fatal. A poor outcome has increasingly been observed in pregnant women suffering from Hepatitis in Central India. Hence, this study was undertaken to study the incidence, causative organisms and chief prognostic factors affecting the outcome of viral hepatitis in pregnant women.

METHODS

Sixty-eight pregnant women reporting to the hospital with jaundice were enrolled as cases and their Haematological, Biochemical and Viral profiles were studied. Sixteen non- pregnant women were enrolled as controls and a similar workup was done. A comparison was done between the two groups We also divided the cases into two groups--survivors and non- survivors and tried to find out the factors predicting mortality. The unpaired student t test and chi square test were used to find out whether the differences were statistically significant.

RESULTS

Viral Hepatitis in pregnancy caused a very high maternal mortality (19.1%) and foetal wastage (42.6%). Hepatitis E virus was the commonest causative organism (77.9%) responsible for viral hepatitis during pregnancy. It also caused the highest maternal mortality due to fulminant hepatic failure. Maternal mortality was significantly higher in those women presenting with features of encephalopathy, SIRS, high bilirubin levels and prolonged prothrombin time. Vertical transmission was noted in Hepatitis B and E.

CONCLUSIONS

Hepatitis E is the chief causative organism causing fulminant hepatic failure in pregnant women in Central India. It lead to very high rates of maternal mortality and foetal wastage.

Assessing prognostic significance of preoperative alpha-fetoprotein in hepatitis B-associated hepatocellular carcinoma: normal is not the new normal

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis B (HBV)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often associated with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) production. Although serum AFP has been demonstrated to be a prognostic factor for patient survival, optimal cutoff levels remain unclear.

METHODS

Patients with HBV-associated HCC treated by primary liver resection were prospectively followed at a single institution between 1995 and 2008. AFP level was categorized into quintiles for Kaplan–Meier analysis and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models.

RESULTS

Best 5-year survival after surgery was observed for patients with AFP in the first quintile (1.4-4.1 ng/mL), with progressively worse outcomes for patients in each increasing quintile. AFP was associated with overall survival (HR = 1.61; 95 % CI 1.30-1.98), disease-free survival (HR = 1.26; 95 % CI 1.10-1.44), and 2-year recurrence (HR = 1.30; 95 % CI 1.07-1.57) in multivariate analysis. Noncirrhotic patients (Ishak 1-5) with AFP in quintile 1 had 94 % 5-year survival, compared with 0 % survival for patients with AFP in quintile 5 (2,332.7-327,560.0 ng/mL) and Ishak stage 6 cirrhosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative serum AFP is an independent predictor of prognosis among HBV-HCC patients following surgical resection. Categorizing AFP into quintiles creates the opportunity to observe differences in outcomes even at low serum levels within the normal range. Additionally, combining AFP quintiles and fibrosis staging provides a predictive model of prognosis for HCC. Thus, even small differences in AFP within the normal range may impact prognosis and disease progression for HBV-HCC.

Comparison of clinical manifestations and outcomes between hepatitis B virus- and hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma: analysis of a nationwide cohort

Background

We analyzed whether difference exist in the clinical manifestations and outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) according to the two major etiologies of HCC from a nationwide, population-based, random HCC registry.

Methods

Of the 31,521 new HCC cases registered at the Korea Central Cancer Registry between 2003 and 2005, 4,630 (14.7%) were randomly abstracted, and followed up until December 2011. Of those, 2,785 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related and 447 hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCC patients were compared.

Results

The mean annual incidence rates of HBV- and HCV-related HCC incidence per 100,000 persons were 20.8 and 4.9, respectively. The annual incidence rate of HBV-related HCC peaked at 50–59 age group (46.5 per 100,000 persons), while the annual incidence rate of HCV-related HCC increased gradually to the ≥70 year age group (13.2 per 100,000 persons). Large tumors (≥5 cm) and portal vein invasion at initial diagnosis were more frequent in HBV-related HCC, while multiple tumors were more frequent in HCV-related HCC. In outcome analysis, HBV-related HCC showed poorer survival than HCV-related HCC [median survival: 1.34 vs. 2.17 years, adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.88 (0.78–0.98), P = 0.03, adjusted for age, gender, Child-Pugh class, AJCC/mUICC stage, and initial treatment modality]. However, when divided according to the AJCC/mUICC stage, survival difference was observed only for those with AJCC/mUICC stage IV tumor, but not for AJCC/mUICC stage I, II or III tumors. The treatment outcome of each modality (resection, ablation, and transartherial chemoeombolization) was comparable between the two etiologies.

Conclusion

HBV-related and HCV-related HCC have clear differences in clinical manifestation, requiring different screening strategy according to etiology to optimize HCC surveillance in HBV-endemic area. However, etiology did not affect treatment outcomes and long-term survival within the same stage except for far advanced tumors.

Prediction of prognosis to lamivudine in patients with spontaneous reactivation of hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure: using virologic response at week 4

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Current results had demonstrated lamivudine (LAM) contributed to improve liver function and short-term prognosis in patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), but data concerning the outcome of long-term prognosis are limited. Our objective was to explore the prediction value of early viral response for prognosis and LAM resistance in ACLF patients with lamivudine treatment within 96weeks.

METHODS

One hundred and forty consecutive subjects were recruited, 76 patients were treated with LAM and supportive treatment (LAM group) and 64 patients only received supportive treatment (non-NAs group). All the patients were followed up until death or 96weeks. The primary end point was overall survival rate at 96weeks, as well as the relationship between the virologic response at weeks 4 or 12 and prognosis and resistance at 96weeks.

RESULTS

At 96weeks, the cumulative survival was higher in the LAM group than that in the non-NA group (43/76 (56.58%) vs 9/64 (14.06%), respectively, p=0.000). The survival rate of patients achieved complete viral response (CVR) at week 4 was higher than that of those with partial virologic response (PVR) during the 96-week follow-up (27/29 [93.10%] vs 16/45 [35.56%], p=0.000). In CVR patients, there was a significant improvement in model for end-stage liver failure (MELD) scores compared to PVR. Logistic recurrence indicated that both 4-week CVR and MELD scores were an independent predictor of the 96-week survival. Twelve patients developed LAM resistance (22.22%); all of them came from the PVR at 4weeks.

CONCLUSION

LAM can significantly improve the long-term survival rate, and 4weeks CVR can predict the long-term clinical outcome and LAM-resistant in patients with HBV-related ACLF.

Prognosis in liver transplantation recipients after hepatitis B virus recurrence

BACKGROUND/AIMS

To analyze the data from hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected patients with HBV recurrence after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) to determine their prognosis and survival.

METHODOLOGY

We retrospectively analyzed data from patients who experienced HBV recurrence following OLT at our center between January 2000 and September 2011. All patients were monitored until June 2012 or their death.

RESULTS

The total number of cases of HBV recurrence after liver transplantation was 56. Of these cases, 21 had benign liver disease and 35 had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The median follow-up time was 48.8 months (range: 5.0-138.1 months). The median time to recurrence following transplantation was 44.4 months (range: 0.3-116.3 months) and 12.2 months (range: 0.3-135.1 months) for patients with benign liver disease and HCC, respectively. Nine patients were diagnosed with HBV recurrence first (1.2-8.2 months prior to HCC recurrence), seven patients showed HCC recurrence first (0.4-27.1 months prior to HBV recurrence), and the remaining 5 patients had HBV and HCC recurrence at the same time. Correlation analysis demonstrated a strong correlation between HBV and HCC recurrence times. Of the 56 patients with HBV recurrence, 24 had died at the time of data cut off, and the main cause of death was HCC recurrence. In patients with malignant liver disease, the survival rates were 78.8%, 48.8%, and 40.1% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively, which were lower than those in patients with benign liver disease, which were 94.7%, 89.5%, and 77.5% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively, P=0.001.

CONCLUSION

Patients with HBV recurrence and benign liver disease have a better prognosis than HCC patients. Treatment with the addition of adefovir and/or entecavir is necessary for patients with HBV recurrence. A correlation between HBV and HCC recurrence times was observed. Hepatitis B recurrence can be used as a warning signal for tumor recurrence.

Hepatitis B virus infection is an independent factor influencing the occurrence of liver metastasis in colorectal cancer: a retrospective analysis of 1413 cases

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The relationships between Hepatitis B virus infection, cirrhosis and colorectal cancer liver metastasis have not been investigated simultaneously and it remained unclear that whether the immune changes caused by Hepatitis B virus infection or the structural changes caused by cirrhosis conduce to the lower incidence of liver metastasis.

METHODOLOGY

Data of 1413 colorectal cancer patients were reviewed to investigate the impacts of Hepatitis B virus infection and cirrhosis on the occurrence and prognosis of liver metastasis.

RESULTS

The incidence of liver metastasis in the Hepatitis B virus infection group or in the cirrhotic group was lower than the control groups (9.4% vs 23.9%, P<0.001; 6.3% vs 22.9%, P=0.03, respectively). However, a multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that only Hepatitis B virus, the T and N classifications were independent factors for the occurrence of liver metastasis in colorectal cancer. There was no statistically significant difference in 5-years survival rates between hepatitis B virus infection group and the non-infection group, nor between cirrhotic group and non-cirrhosis group (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION

Hepatitis B virus infection was one of the independent factors for the occurrence of liver metastasis in colorectal cancer but not for the survival.

Hepatitis B viral load affects prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex disease that is dually challenging to treat due to underlying chronic liver disease in addition to the cancer itself. The prognosis of patients with HCC is determined by intrahepatic tumor status and reserved hepatic function. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is an established major risk factor of HCC development, and HBV viral load is being increasingly recognized as a prognostic factor in the presence of established HCC. High HBV viral load may affect the prognosis of HBV-related HCC patients in several ways. First, it is associated with more frequent recurrence of HBV-related HCC after treatment. Second, it is associated with more occurrence and severity of potentially life-threatening HBV reactivation. Last, it is associated with more worsened liver function, which limits the therapeutic options for HBV-related HCC. HBV, directly or indirectly, can induce hepatocarcinogenesis. In patients with a high HBV DNA level and subsequent active hepatitis, adhesion molecules expressed on the sinusoidal cells are up-regulated and may increase intrahepatic metastasis. HCC progression after treatment can lead to a poor prognosis by reducing number of normal functioning hepatocytes. Thus, high HBV viral load can affect the prognosis of patients with HCC by frequent recurrence after treatment for HCC and deterioration of hepatic function associated with HCC progression. Recent meta-analysis showed that antiviral treatment reduces HCC recurrence and liver-related mortality after curative therapy of HCC. Given the strong relationship between high HBV DNA load and poor survival outcome of HCC patients due to cancer progression, it is expected that long-term antiviral therapy results in the sustained HBV suppression, control of inflammation, reduction in HCC progression, and eventually in improved overall survival.