Hope-For-HepB Top10 September 2010
Eun JR, Lee HJ, Kim TN, Lee KS.
J Hepatol. 2010 Jul;53:118-25.
Rating & Commentary
** Cohort study of 872 lamivudine-treated patients with chronic hepatitis B which demonstrated that suppression of viral replication reduced the incidence of HCC in compensated cirrhosis.
Jonas MM, Block JM, Haber BA, Karpen SJ, London WT, Murray KF, Narkewicz MR, Rosenthal P, Schwarz KB, McMahon BJ.
Hepatology. 2010 Aug 25. [Epub ahead of print]
Rating & Commentary
** Consensus statement of nationally recognized pediatric liver specialists expert’s opinion on the use of HBV treatment in children. There is no established benefit of treatment of children in the immune tolerant phase. In addition, there is no indication for treatment of children in the inactive carrier state. For children in the immune active or reactivation phases, liver histology and family history of liver disease can help guide treatment decisions. Outside of clinical trials, interferon is the agent of choice in most cases. Nucleos(t)ide analogues are secondary therapies.
Tong MJ, Hsu L, Hsien C, Kao JH, Durazo FA, Saab S, Blatt LM.
Hepatol Int. 2010 Apr;4:516-22.
Rating & Commentary
* In this prospective study of 317 HBeAg carriers the frequency of liver-related deaths and development of hepatocellular carcinoma is determined in different clinical stages of chronic hepatitis B infection. HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients with cirrhosis accounted for the majority of the liver-related fatalities.
Cirrhosis is Present in Most Patients with Hepatitis B and Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
Yang JD, Kim WR, Coelho R, Mettler TA, Benson JT, Sanderson SO, Therneau TM, Kim B, Roberts LR.
Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2010 Sep 7. [Epub ahead of print]
Rating & Commentary
* Single center analyses of 182 patients with HCC of viral origin. Most patients with HCC and chronic viral hepatitis had evidence of cirrhosis, including those with HBV infection and those without active viral replication.
Hepatitis B virus infection and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in South Korea: a cohort study.
Engels EA, Cho ER, Jee SH.
Lancet Oncol. 2010 Sep;11:827-34.
Rating & Commentary
* Cohort study in South Korea with 603,585 participants, which demonstrates that HBsAg-positive participants had a slightly increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma compared with those who were HBsAg-negative (incidence 19.4 vs 12.3 per 100,000 person-years; hazard ratio 1.7, 95% CI 1.4-2.1.
Jorgensen P, Poethko-Müller C, Hellenbrand W, Jilg W, Thierfelder W, Meyer C, an der Heiden M, Schlaud M, Radun D.
Epidemiol Infect. 2010 Nov;138:1621-9.
Rating & Commentary
* Cross-sectional survey which compared hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) levels in children fully vaccinated with Hexavac or Infanrix hexa. On average 2.4 years after vaccination, 25.3% of Hexavac vaccinees had anti-HBs levels <10 mIU/ml compared to 4.7% of Infanrix hexa vaccines. In 2005, the European Medicines Agency has suspended sales of childhood vaccine Hexavac.
Upadhyaya N, Chang R, Davis C, Conti MC, Salinas-Garcia D, Tang H.
Postgrad Med. 2010 Sep;122:165-75.
Rating & Commentary
* Cross-sectional study investigating the hepatitis B awareness among Asian Americans and the attitude of primary care physicians in chronic hepatitis B management. A high proportion (71%) of Asian Americans reported having had a blood test for hepatitis B virus (HBV). However, of those who were found to be negative for HBV, only 61% reported that they had been vaccinated. Universal screening among Asian Americans is not practiced by most physicians, and 62% were unfamiliar with the major treatment guidelines.
Sonneveld MJ, Rijckborst V, Boucher CA, Hansen BE, Janssen HL.
Hepatology. 2010 Oct;52:1251-7.
Rating & Commentary
* In a large randomized trial of PEG-interferon therapy the predictive value of quantitative HBsAg decline was investigated. One year of PEG-IFN with or without lamivudine resulted in a significant decline in serum HBsAg. Patients with no decline from baseline at week 12 have little chance of achieving a sustained response.
Piroth L, Pol S, Lacombe K, Miailhes P, Rami A, Rey D, Loustau-Ratti V, Morlat P, Goderel I, Sene D, Rosenthal E, Carrat F, Cacoub P; for the GERMIVIC Study Group.
J Hepatol. 2010 Aug 4. [Epub ahead of print]
Rating & Commentary
* Retrospective cohort study comparing treatment effects in patients with chronic hepatitis B with or without HIV. HBsAg loss was more frequently observed in HIV-infected patients, but discontinuation of anti-HBV treatment could result in HBsAg reappearance. HIV infection did not have a negative impact on the likelihood of HBV therapeutic success.
Tuma P, Medrano J, Resino S, Vispo E, Madejón A, Sánchez-Piedra C, Rivas P, Labarga P, Martín-Carbonero L, Barreiro P, Soriano V.
Antivir Ther. 2010;15:881-6.
Rating & Commentary
* A longitudinal study in a cohort of 508 HIV-infected patients with chronic hepatitis B or C with periodic assessments by elastometry. Development of liver cirrhosis in HIV-infected individuals in the HAART era is mainly associated with active HCV co infection. The risk of developing cirrhosis is negligible in patients who cleared HCV with therapy, as well as in HIV-HBV-co infected patients on long-term suppressive tenofovir disoproxil fumarate therapy.