Persistent TT virus infection does not contribute to the development of non-A to -G hepatocellular carcinoma - A case-control study of 19 patients inJapan

We tested the sera of patients with non-A, non-B, non-C, non-G (non-A to -G ) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for the presence of TT virus (TTV) DNA and clinicopathologically elucidated the relationship between rm! infection an d hepatocarcinogenesis. The study cohort consisted of 19 patients with non- A to -G HCC. Detection of TTV DNA was performed by the nested polymerase ch ain reaction according to a previously published method. TTV DNA was detect ed in the sera of 9 (47.4%) of the 19 patients with non-A to -G HCC, The cl inical background factors and blood biochemical parameters of the TTV-DNA-p ositive and -negative HCC patients did not significantly differ. Three TTV- DNA-positive and 2 TTV-DNA-negative patients underwent surgical resection o f the HCC. The histological findings in the non-cancerous liver tissue of t he TTV-DNA-positive and -negative patients did not significantly differ. In conclusion, TTV infection does not affect the features of non-A to -G HCC. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.