Clinicopathological Analysis in Resected Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cases Based on Serum Hepatitis B and C Markers

Taichi Kanamaru, Yasushi Morita, Takashi Itoh, Masahiro Yamamoto

First Department of Surgery, Kobe University School of Medicine

In this study, we investigated the clinicopathological and prognostic features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) markers in patients who had undergone hepatic resection. Of 140 HCC patients 103 (73.6%) were HCVAb (HCV antibody) positive and 23 (16.4%) were HBsAg (HBV surface antigen) positive. In HCVAb-positive patients, the positive rate of HBsAg (HBV surface antibody), HBeAb (HBV envelope antibody), and HBcAb (HBV core antibody) were 44.7%, 46.8%, and 75.0%, respectively. In the HBsAg-positive patients, the mean age was younger, the liver function was better, the mean tumor size was larger, and the resected volume of liver was greater, than those in HCVAb-positive patients, as previously reported. There was no clinicopathological difference between HBV marker-positive and -negative HCC patients with HCVAb. But the disease-free survival rate in HBcAb-positive HCC patients with HCVAb was significantly lower than that in HBcAb-nagative HCC patients with HCVAb. These results suggest that co-infection with HCV and HBV is often seen in patients with HCC and that the prognosis of HBV marker-positive HCC patients with HCVAb differs from that of HCC patients with HCVAb alone.

Key words
hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, co-infection, hepatectomy

Reprint requests
Taichi Kanamaru First Department of Surgery, Kobe University School of Medicine
7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuou-ku, Kobe, 650-0017 JAPAN

Accepted
November 5, 1997

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