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Hepatitis B virus surface gene pre‐S 2 mutant as a high‐risk serum marker for hepatoma recurrence after curative hepatic resection
Author(s) -
Yen ChiaJui,
Ai YuLin,
Tsai HungWen,
Chan ShihHuang,
Yen ChiaSheng,
Cheng KuangHsiung,
Lee YunPing,
Kao ChiaWei,
Wang YuChun,
Chen YiLin,
Lin ChengHan,
Liu Tsunglin,
Tsai HueyPin,
Wang JenRen,
Su IhJen,
Huang Wenya
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.29790
Subject(s) - hepatocellular carcinoma , hepatitis b virus , medicine , proportional hazards model , mutant , immunohistochemistry , receiver operating characteristic , antigen , cancer , cohort , oncology , hepatitis b , stage (stratigraphy) , hepatectomy , gastroenterology , pathology , virus , gene , virology , resection , immunology , biology , surgery , paleontology , biochemistry
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The pre‐S 2 mutant large HBV surface antigen (LHBS) is highly associated with HCC. This study analyzed the expression of the large form of surface protein in tumors and evaluated the LHBS with mutations within the pre‐S 2 region as a high‐risk recurrence marker in HCC patients after curative hepatic resection. By analyses using immunohistochemical staining (n = 12) and western blotting (n = 22), the HBV surface protein, which is mainly comprised of the major form of HBV surface antigen, was greatly diminished in the tumors. However, LHBS was not significantly decreased in tumorous regions, suggesting that LHBS maintains its expression in cancer development. A cohort of 175 patients with HBV‐related HCC who underwent curative hepatic resection was analyzed for pre‐S gene mutations using Pre‐S Gene Chip. Results of the multivariate regression analysis showed that the serum pre‐S 2 mutant level and the American Joint Committee on Cancer stage were the two main independent high‐risk factors for recurrence. A Cox proportional hazards analysis also revealed a prediction model, which indicated the recurrence‐free survival rate along with the time after surgery; this was developed and further validated in an independent HCC cohort. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the model showed close sensitivities in the main and validation cohorts (area under the curve values, 0.741 and 0.704, respectively). Conclusion : Unlike the major HBV surface antigen, LHBS is mostly expressed in the tumorous regions of HBV‐induced HCC, indicating that it plays a unique role in tumor progression; the relative level of pre‐S 2 mutant in serum is, independently of tumor stage, an important high‐risk marker for HCC recurrence after primary hepatic resection. (H epatology 2018).