Effects of hepatitis B virus infection and antiviral therapy on the clinical prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the clinical characteristics of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and a concomitant hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, as well as the potential effects of HBV infection and antiviral therapy on prognosis. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all NPC patients from December 2010 to December 2014. After collecting medical records and conducting follow-ups on patients, a total of 876 eligible NPC patients were included. For each patient, medical records were reviewed. Factors predictive of outcome were compared using the log-rank test and Cox regression analysis. Results: Among the 876 participants, 106 (12.1%) patients were HBV-infected patients. The hepatitis B surface antigen-positive [HBsAg(+)] group had a lower CD 4+ T cell count than the HBsAg(−) group (P = .048). Among patients with stage I/II NPC, 5-year overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), relapse-free survival, and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) of the HBsAg(+) group were 82.5%, 70.7%, 87.7%, and 76.6%, respectively, whereas those of the HBsAg(−) group were 91.4%, 86.0%, 93.8%, and 92.1%, respectively. Statistically significant differences in OS, DFS, and DMFS existed between both groups (P = .017, .018, and .004, respectively). The multivariate analysis indicated that HBsAg status and N stage are independent risk factors affecting OS, DFS, and DMFS of NPC patients. A statistically significant difference in 5-year DMFS existed between the antivirus (90.0%) and no-antivirus groups (70.0%) (P = .043). Conclusions: Hepatitis B virus infection is an independent risk factor for early stage NPC, which may be associated with its reduced immune functions compared to the HBsAg(−) group. Anti-HBV treatment may improve the prognosis of HBV-infected NPC patients. K E Y W O R D S antiviral therapy, hepatitis B virus, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, prognosis 542 | WENG Et al.

Accumulation of LOX-1+ PMN-MDSCs in nasopharyngeal carcinoma survivors with chronic hepatitis B might permit immune tolerance to epstein–barr virus and relate to tumor recurrence

“…Among these, EBV DNA is considered one of the most significant prognostic factors, due to the etiological role of EBV in the development of NPC [ 4 ]. Recently, CHB was found to participate in the development of NPC and was identified as a prognostic factor [ 7 – 9 , 11 ]. However, the specific role of CHB in the development of NPC is unclear.…”

“…CHB is known to have a clear etiological role in the development of HCC [ 25 ]. In recent decades, CHB has been related to multiple malignancies, including lymphoma [ 26 ] and NPC [ 7 – 9 , 11 ]. However, the role of CHB in the development of other malignancies remains controversial, indicating a possible indirect role in malignancies other than HCC.…”

“…EBV DNA is considered a biomarker for NPC development [ 5 ] and recurrence after radical treatments [ 1 , 4 , 6 ]. Notably, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is another virus related to NPC [ 7 – 9 ], and in the last decade has also reached epidemic levels in East and Southeast Asia [ 10 ]. Our previous study found that HBV infection was associated with impaired prognosis of NPC patients [ 11 ].…”

Study on the Drug Targets and Molecular Mechanisms of Rhizoma Curcumae in the Treatment of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Based on Network Pharmacology

“…It is reported that the prognosis of HBsAg (+) NPC patients is poor, and distant metastasis, especially liver metastasis, is more common in these patients [43]. Anti-HBV treatment may improve the prognosis of HBV-infected NPC patients [44]. Type 2 diabetes, a risk factor for NPC, is associated with a poor prognosis in NPC [45].…”

Meet the Insidious Players: Review of Viral Infections in Head and Neck Cancer Etiology with an Update on Clinical Trials

“…HBV has dual tropism, infecting both hepatic cells and B-cells. Additionally, it can replicate in lymphocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells [ 43 ] ( Table 1 ). Upon infection of the host cell, the HBV genome is delivered into the nucleus and forms a covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), which functions as the template to direct transcription of viral RNA [ 38 , 39 ].…”