Official Journal of Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a fatal disease. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the major cause of HCC. High viral replication rate and related hepatic/systematic inflammation are the major risk factors in HCC recurrence after hepatectomy or liver transplantation.
Some of the carcinogenesis-related HBV mutations are also associated with poor prognosis for HCC patients. Antiviral therapy is an option for improving HCC prognosis after surgery. In case of HBV-associated HCC, treatment with interferon and nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs), especially interferon, is effective in improving the prognosis. However, long-term use of NAs increases the possibility of developing drug-resistant viral mutations such as the HBV rtA181T/sW172 mutation, which increases the risk of HCC recurrence.
In cases of HCV-associated HCC, standard interferon with or without ribavirin therapy is effective in improving the prognosis of HCV-associated HCC; however, some HCV mutations, such as the amino acid substitution M91L, are associated with treatment failure and a poor prognosis. Therapeutic efficacy needs to be confirmed using largescale, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials.
Surveillance of viral mutations during antiviral treatment and a better understanding of the associations of HCC recurrence with viral load, inflammation-associated signaling, and environmental factors can aid the development of more effective strategies for the prevention of HCC recurrence after surgery.
© 2012, Author(s). This open-access article is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which allows for unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.
Zhao Y, Jia Y, Qi S, Wu C, Wu J, et al. Comparison of Postoperative Prognosis Among HBV-Related, HCV-Related, and Non-HBV Non-HCV Hepatocellular Carcinomas: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Hepat Mon. 2022;22(1):e121820. doi: https://doi.org/10.5812/hepatmon-121820
Karami A, Alavian S, Najafi A, Hosseini M. Molecular Aspects of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Caused by Hepatitis C Virus. Hepat Mon. 2006;6(2):. doi:
Strazzulla A, Maria Rita Iemmolo R, Carbone E, Concetta Postorino M, Mazzitelli M, et al. The Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Directly Acting Antivirals for Hepatitis C Virus Treatment in Liver Transplanted Patients: Is It Real?. Hepat Mon. 2016;16(11):e41933. doi: https://doi.org/10.5812/hepatmon.41933
Muzica CM, Stanciu C, Cijevschi-Prelipcean C, Girleanu I, Huiban L, et al. Long-term Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Following Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy in Compensated Liver Cirrhosis Induced by Hepatitis C Virus Infection. Hepat Mon. 2021;21(6):e115910. doi: https://doi.org/10.5812/hepatmon.115910
Liu X, Gao Y, Niu J. Hepatitis C Virus - Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Era of Direct - Acting Antiviral Agents. Hepat Mon. 2018;18(6):e66007. doi: https://doi.org/10.5812/hepatmon.66007
Last Update: 1 month ago
Last Update: 1 month ago
Last Update: 1 month ago
Last Update: 4 days ago
Last Update: 2 hours ago
Last Update: 3 days ago
