To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Lab Data Reveal Risk for Liver Complications in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B: Presented at AASLD URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/216C72.htm Doctor's Guide November 6, 2007
By Maria Bishop BOSTON, MA -- November 6, 2007 -- Clinical information, non-invasively obtained, can provide a risk stratification for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver-disease complications in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV), researchers reported here at the 58th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD). Serum levels of HBV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) over time are the strongest predictor of HCC, independent of age, gender, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) trajectory. The incidence of HCC increased with serum HBV DNA trajectory class, noted Chuen-Fei Chen, MD, Researcher, The Genomics Research Center, Academica Sinica, Nankang, Taipei, Taiwan, while a change in serum HBV DNA was also a strong predictor of HCC risk. High serum ALT level over time also proved to be a risk predictor of HCC progression. This analysis came from a subgroup cohort of the Risk Evaluation of Viral Load Elevation and Associated Liver Disease/Cancer (R.E.V.E.A.L.)-HBV study -- a large-scale, long-term. population-based, prospective study of over 3,000 Taiwanese subjects with HBV. In this analysis, there were 1,289 participants with HBV DNA ≥ 104 copies/mL at entry. Another 2,020 subjects with at least two readings of HBV DNA < 104 copies/mL at entry were used as a reference group. The following laboratory analyses were performed: À serum samples by polymerase chain reaction test; · hepatitis B e and s antigens by radioimmune assay; · anti-hepatitis C virus antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; and · ALT by serum chemistry autoanalyser. Four classes of serum HBV DNA trajectories were identified by group modelling. The majority of subjects were in classes 2, 3, and 4 (Medium to Persistently High levels of HBV DNA), with levels at or over 300 copies/mL at study entry and remaining there throughout the study. Cox hazards modelling was used to analyse associations between HBV DNA trajectory classes and progression to HCC. "Risk stratification for HCC is directly related to HBV DNA viral load, and its determination is possible using readily available non-invasive clinical information," noted Dr. Chen. This trial was sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb. [Presentation title: Changes in Serum HBV DNA Level Using a Trajectory Model to Predict the Risk of HCC in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients: The R.E.V.E.A.L.-HBV Study. Abstract 906] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.