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World J Gastroenterol. May 28, 2014; 20(20): 5999-6005
Published online May 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i20.5999
Significance of viral status on occurrence of hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma
Li-Shuai Qu, Guo-Xiong Zhou
Li-Shuai Qu, Guo-Xiong Zhou, Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Qu LS wrote the initial draft of the manuscript; Zhou GX contributed to the conception and design of the review and supervised the review.
Supported by China Ministry of Health, No. W201202; Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, No. BK2012225; Foundation of Jiangsu Province, No. WS056; National Nature Science Foundation of China, No. 81302056
Correspondence to: Guo-Xiong Zhou, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, No. 20 Xisi Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China. guoxiongzhou@yeah.net
Telephone: +86-513-81161826 Fax: +86-513-85519820
Received: September 15, 2013
Revised: November 3, 2013
Accepted: January 3, 2014
Published online: May 28, 2014
Processing time: 254 Days and 15.4 Hours
Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a challenging global health problem, with more than 350 million people chronically infected and at risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Interactions that occur among host, environmental, and viral factors determine the natural course and predict the prognosis of patients with chronic HBV infection. In the past decades, several important viral factors of predictive of HCC have been identified, such as high hepatitis B surface antigen level, seropositivity of hepatitis B e antigen, high viral load, viral genotype, and specific viral sequence mutations. Identification of certain viral risk factors for HCC development and stratification of patient risk are very important to perform future surveillance programs. In this article, we thus reviewed the risk of viral factors involved in hepatocarcinogenesis.

Keywords: Hepatitis B virus; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Mutation; Serum hepatitis B virus-DNA levels; Genotype

Core tip: There are conflicting data on the relationship between hepatitis B virus infection risk factors and hepatocarcinogenesis. In this article, we reviewed the risk of hepatitis B surface antigen level, seropositivity of hepatitis B e antigen, high viral load, viral genotype, and specific viral sequence mutations, separately.