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World J Gastroenterol. Apr 7, 2015; 21(13): 3860-3866
Published online Apr 7, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i13.3860
Antiviral therapies for hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma
Yuan-Qing Zhang, Jin-Sheng Guo
Yuan-Qing Zhang, Jin-Sheng Guo, Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Zhong Shan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fu Dan University, Shanghai 200032, China
Author contributions: Zhang YQ and Guo JS contributed equally to this paper.
Supported by National Fund of Nature Science of China, No. 30570825, No. 81070340 and No. 91129705.
Conflict-of-interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Jin-Sheng Guo, MD, Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Zhong Shan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fu Dan University, 180 Feng Lin Road, Shanghai 200032, China. guo.jinsheng@zs-hospital.sh.cn
Telephone: +86-21-64041990 Fax: +86-21-64038472
Received: September 6, 2014
Peer-review started: September 7, 2014
First decision: October 14, 2014
Revised: November 15, 2014
Accepted: January 30, 2015
Article in press: January 30, 2015
Published online: April 7, 2015
Processing time: 213 Days and 6.2 Hours
Abstract

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a critical risk factor for the carcinogenesis and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It promotes HCC development by inducing liver fibrogenesis, genetic and epigenetic alterations, and the expression of active viral-coded proteins. Effective antiviral treatments inhibit the replication of HBV, reduce serum viral load and accelerate hepatitis B e antigen serum conversion. Timely initiation of antiviral treatment is not only essential for preventing the incidence of HCC in chronic hepatitis B patients, but also important for reducing HBV reactivation, improving liver function, reducing or delaying HCC recurrence, and prolonging overall survival of HBV-related HCC patients after curative and palliative therapies. The selection of antiviral drugs, monitoring of indicators such as HBV DNA and hepatitis B surface antigen, and timely rescue treatment when necessary, are essential in antiviral therapies for HBV-related HCC.

Keywords: Chronic hepatitis B; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Antiviral therapy

Core tip: This review provides an overview of recent studies and practice guidelines on antiviral treatments for hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and emphasizes their significance. HBV infection promotes HCC development by inducing liver fibrogenesis, genetic and epigenetic alterations, and the expression of active viral-coded proteins. Timely initiation of antiviral treatment is not only essential for preventing the incidence of HCC in chronic hepatitis B patients, but also important for reducing HBV reactivation, improving liver function, reducing or delaying HCC recurrence, and prolonging overall survival of HBV-related HCC patients after curative and palliative therapies.