NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - High preoperative levels of hepatitis B
surface antigen (HBsAg) in patients with a low viral load predict an
increased likelihood of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after
resection, Chinese researchers report.
"We are somewhat surprised by our results," Dr. Wei-ping Zhou from
Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital in Shanghai told Reuters Health
by email. "It is difficult to find a good marker that actually reflects
the status of HBV infection and predicts postoperative prognosis in HCC
patients with a low HBV-DNA load."
Patients with HBV DNA levels below 2,000 IU/mL are designated as
being inactive or low-risk carriers, but even these patients have a high
postoperative tumor recurrence rate.
Read more... Labels: HBsAg levels, HCC recurrence