Impact of Serial Hepatitis B Virus DNA on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Objectives: We investigated the pattern of serial HBV DNA levels in known cirrhosis patients and its impact on the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: We analyzed a retrospective case/control study based on 352 HCC patients associated with HBV between 2005 and 2007. Prior to HCC development, 49 cirrhosis patients were tested for HBV DNA levels more than once a year (median 4 times) during the follow-up period. Ninety-eight consecutive cirrhosis patients without HCC, matched for age, sex and HBe Ag status were included as controls. Eighty-three patients in both groups had undergone antiviral therapy. Results: In cirrhosis, the most common HBV DNA pattern was fluctuating (33.3%), followed by persistently high (≧10 4 copies/ml, 23.8%). Compared to a persistently low pattern (