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Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Detection and Quantification of Hepatitis B Virus DNA
04:11

Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Detection and Quantification of Hepatitis B Virus DNA

Published on: December 15, 2023

Hepatitis B viral load predicts survival of HCC patients undergoing systemic chemotherapy

Winnie Yeo1, Frankie K F Mo, Stephen L Chan

  • 1Department of Clinical Oncology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong, China. winnie.yeo@cuhk.edu.hk

Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.)
|June 1, 2007
PubMed

Insights

High hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels before chemotherapy are linked to poorer survival in liver cancer (HCC) patients with chronic HBV infection. Elevated HBV viral load also increases the risk of severe hepatitis during treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Oncology
  • Virology

Background:

  • Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer-related death globally.
  • Systemic chemotherapy is a standard treatment for unresectable HCC.
  • Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is prevalent in a significant proportion of HCC patients, particularly in East Asia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between pre-chemotherapy HBV viral load and survival outcomes in HCC patients.
  • To identify clinical and virological factors influencing survival in HCC patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 188 HCC patients.
  • Determination of HBV infection status and pre-chemotherapy HBV DNA levels using real-time PCR.
  • Multivariate analysis to identify prognostic factors for survival.

Main Results:

  • High pre-chemotherapy HBV DNA levels were significantly associated with poorer survival in HCC patients with chronic HBV infection (P = 0.0217).
  • Other adverse prognostic factors included high total bilirubin and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.
  • Elevated pretreatment HBV DNA levels correlated with a higher incidence of severe hepatitis during chemotherapy.

Conclusions:

  • Pre-treatment HBV viral load is a significant adverse prognostic factor for HCC patients with chronic HBV infection.
  • Reducing HBV viral load through antiviral therapy may be a crucial strategy to improve chemotherapy outcomes and reduce treatment-related complications.
Abstract

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