DETECTION OF HEPATITIS-B AND HEPATITIS-C VIRUSES IN LIVER-TISSUE WITHHEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA

Polymerase chain reaction was used to investigate the presence of the hepatitis B and C Viruses in liver tissue from Taiwanese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma by examining paired samples (tumor and non-t umor) from 38 cases. We used a DNA-polymerase chain reaction protocol with primers spanning the regions of the hepatitis B virus genome corr esponding to HBs, HBc, and HBx genes and RNA-polymerase chain reaction protocol with primers spanning the 5' untranslated region of the hepa titis C virus. Co-infection with hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses w as seen in nine patients (23%), only three of whom had anti-hepatitis C virus in serum. One of these three was HBsAg-negative in serum while the other two and four of the other six from this group were HBsAg-po sitive. One of the patients with anti-HCV and no HBsAg in serum had no hepatitis C virus-RNA in liver tissue, while hepatitis B virus-DNA wa s detectable by using the HBc and HBx specific primers. We detected he patitis C virus as a single agent in the liver in only one patient. Th is patient was anti-HCV positive and HBsAg-negative. The remaining 27 patients (71%) had infection with hepatitis B virus only. Twenty-five of 27 patients had HBsAg in their sera. HBs-specific primers detected hepatitis B virus-DNA in non-tumor tissue from 23 patients and in tumo r tissue from 25 patients. HBc-specific primers detected hepatitis B v irus-DNA in non-tumor tissue from 24 patients and in tumor tissue from 20 patients. Finally HBx-specific primers detected hepatitis B virus- DNA in non-tumor tissue from 24 patients and in tumor tissue from 25 p atients. These data indicate that in a hyperendemic area, hepatitis B virus is closely associated with the development of hepatocellular car cinoma but that infection with hepatitis C virus may play a secondary role. (C) Journal of Hepatology.