Objective: To investigate the status of hepatitis B virus (HBV) activity in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its response to surgical interventions for tumor in HBV positive HCC patients.
Method: We analyzed HBV marker results and detected HBV DNA in sera of 97 HCC patients (pre-operation 66 cases, post-operation 31 cases) with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. We also investigated the HBV DNA titer in sera before and one week after operation in 20 HCC patients with positive HBV markers by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR).
Result: HBV DNA positive rate in sera was 40.9% and 64.52% in the two subgroup respectively (P < 0.05). HBV DNA titer in sera increased after operation (P < 0.01).
Conclusion: The infection rate of HBV in Chinese HCC patients is very high. The replication of hepatitis B virus is strong in partial HBV marker positive HCC patients and surgical interventions may promote the virus replication.