A case of chronic hepatitis B with genotype B which developed hepatoceller carcinoma during lamivudine treatment

A 63-year-old man was diagnosed as chronic hepatitis B in 2000 with a histrogic findings of the liver was A2F2. He received interferon therapy, but non-response. Lamivudine treatment was begun from March, 2002. HBV-DNA and GPT (glutamic-pyruvic transaminase) levels have improved, but abdominal computed tomograpy revealed hypervascular liver tumor at S6 in February, 2003. It was diagnosed as hepatoceller carcinoma and surgical treatment was given. HBV genotype of this case was found to be Ba subgroup, which is frequent in Taiwan but rare in Japan. These results suggest that HBV genotype is associated with the mechanism of chronic hepatitis B and the development of HCC even under lamivudine administration.