Occult hepatitis B virus infection as a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis C in whom viral eradication fails

Abstract

Occult HBV was a risk factor for HCC development in patients with chronic hepatitis C in whom HCV eradication had failed. Therefore, patients with chronic hepatitis C with occult HBV should be monitored carefully for HCC after IFN therapy.

Occult Hepatitis B (OBH) in Clinical Settings

“…In follow-up periods of 82.8 ± 32.6 months, eight out of nine patients who acquired HCC were OHB positive at the time of final follow-up (73). In a similar finding, in a period of 91.8 ± 48.5 months, four out of eight OHB positive cases had acquired HCC (72). However, one follow-up study found a negative correlation (74); specifically, only one of seven OHB and HCV co-infected patients whose HCV was not without HCV eradicated ion with interferon therapy developed HCC during average periods of 58.6 ± 18.1 months.…”

“…Three longitudinal follow-up studies showed the role of OHB in HCC development (65,72,73). In follow-up periods of 82.8 ± 32.6 months, eight out of nine patients who acquired HCC were OHB positive at the time of final follow-up (73).…”

Occult hepatitis B infection in Portuguese patients with chronic hepatitis C liver disease

“…Some studies have shown that there is no correlation between clinical outcomes and the severity of liver disease and silent HBV infection. However, others have considered that its occurrence plays a role in the severity of histological changes, the development of hepatocellular carcinoma, and a worse response to antiviral treatment in chronic HCVinfected patients [5][6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

New natural variants of hepatitis B virus among Amerindians from Argentina with mainly occult infections

“…Different factors might be associated with the occult course of hepatitis B infection: elapsed time and recovery from infection as a result of host immune response, low viral load, differences in sensitivity of the HBsAg and anti-HBc immunoassays, as well as variability of the HBV genome, and/or the formation of immune-complexes. [27][28][29][30] OBI may impact in several different clinical contexts, including the possible transmission of the infection, the risk of reactivation, the contribution to liver disease progression and to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. 31 Even though, there is evidence suggesting that in OBI cases, those with anti-HBs are unlikely to be infectious while those with anti-HBc alone may be infectious.…”