Copyright
©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. May 18, 2015; 7(8): 1064-1073
Published online May 18, 2015. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i8.1064
Published online May 18, 2015. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i8.1064
Risk for hepatocellular carcinoma in the course of chronic hepatitis B virus infection and the protective effect of therapy with nucleos(t)ide analogues
Irene Rapti, Stephanos Hadziyannis, Liver Unit and its Molecular Biology Laboratory, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Evgenidion Hospital of Athens, 15669 Athens, Greece
Irene Rapti, Athens Medical Center, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Evgenidion Hospital of Athens, 15669 Athens, Greece
Author contributions: Both authors contributed to this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest: None.
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: Stephanos Hadziyannis, Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Hepatology, Liver Unit and its Molecular Biology Laboratory, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Evgenidion Hospital of Athens, 4 Dirrachiou Str., 15669 Athens, Greece. hadziyannis@ath.forthnet.gr
Telephone: +30-21-06516807 Fax: +30-21-06543299
Received: December 26, 2014
Peer-review started: December 30, 2014
First decision: January 20, 2015
Revised: March 3, 2015
Accepted: March 16, 2015
Article in press: March 18, 2015
Published online: May 18, 2015
Peer-review started: December 30, 2014
First decision: January 20, 2015
Revised: March 3, 2015
Accepted: March 16, 2015
Article in press: March 18, 2015
Published online: May 18, 2015
Core Tip
Core tip: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents a major health problem worldwide. It develops on the grounds of chronic liver disease, with chronic hepatitis B virus infection (CHB) being responsible for more than 50% of HCC worldwide. Currently, the vast majority of patients with CHB are being treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues, which have changed the natural history of the disease, reducing at a considerable extent its long-term consequences. However, although the risk of HCC has also been reduced, it has not been eliminated even after HBsAg loss or seroconversion. Therefore, constant surveillance, according to guidelines should never be omitted, unless new more potent treatment options are identified.