Nucleotide Analogs for Patients with HBV-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Increase the Survival Rate through Improved Liver Function

Background and Aim This study evaluated the outcomes of antiviral therapy with nucleotide analogs for hepatitis B virus infection-related hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods Thirty patients orally received nucleotide analogs and, as a matched control group, 20 patients who were not treated with nucleotide analogs were selected. We compared changes in liver function, HCC recurrence and survival rate between both groups. Results In the nucleotide analog group, serum albumin, AST and ALT were significantly improved compared with baseline values. The Child-Pugh score was significantly decreased in the nucleotide analog group. Furthermore, of the 36 patients curatively treated with the initial treatment, more patients in the nucleotide analog group improved or maintained their Child-Pugh score at the time of recurrent HCC than in the control group (p=0.023). The cumulative recurrent-free survival rate of HCC did not significantly differ between the two groups; however, the cumulative survival rates of not only curative-treated patients but also all patients in the nucleotide analog group were significantly higher than those of patients in the control group (p=0.047 and p=0.02, respectively). Conclusion The results suggest that nucleotide analog treatment increases the survival rate in patients with HCC by contributing to the improvement of remnant liver function.