Role of antiviral therapy in reducing recurrence and improving survival in hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma following curative resection (Review)

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with the majority of cases associated with persistent hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus infection. In particular, chronic HBV infection is a predominant risk factor for the development of HCC in Asian and African populations. Hepatic resection, liver transplantion and radiofrequency ablation are increasingly used for the curative treatment of HCC, however, the survival rate of HCC patients who have undergone curative resection remains unsatisfactory due to the high recurrence rate. HCC is a complex disease that is typically resistant to the most commonly used types of chemotherapy and radiotherapy; therefore, the development of novel treatment strategies is required to improve the survival rate of this disease. A high viral load of HBV DNA is the most important correctable risk factor for HCC recurrence, for example nucleos(t)ide analogs improve the outcome following curative resection of HBV-associated HCC, and interferon-α exhibits antitumor activity against various types of cancer via direct inhibitory effects on tumor cells, anti-angiogenesis, enhanced immunogenicity of tumors, immunomodulatory effects and liver dysfunction. In the present review, antiviral treatment for HBV-associated HCC is described as a strategy to reduce recurrence and improve survival.

The progress and prospects of routine prophylactic antiviral treatment in hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma

“…IFN-α also showed an antitumor effect by preventing angiogenesis, inhibiting tumor cell growth, inducing apoptosis of tumors, and increasing the immunogenicity of tumors [68,69]. The effect of IFN-α treatment in HBVrelated HCC patients can be both antiviral and anti-tumor [70]. IFN-α has been shown to prevent HCC development, but likely only in patients with cirrhosis.…”

Potential molecular, cellular and microenvironmental mechanism of sorafenib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma

“…It leads to deterioration of liver function, induces development of HCC and significantly affects prognosis of patients with HCC [124]. Zuo et al reported that viral reactivation was the most important correlative risk factor for HCC recurrence [125]. As sorafenib resistance becomes a hot topic, some researchers start to focus on the correlation between viral reactivation and sorafenib efficacy, with expectation to explore new treatment against HCC basing their potential correlation.…”

Current Status of Herbal Medicines in Chronic Liver Disease Therapy: The Biological Effects, Molecular Targets and Future Prospects

“…So far, the treatment for liver cancer is limited, the later stage or higher-grade liver cancer patients will ordinarily have poor prognosis [ 154 ]. Surgical resection may be the best therapy for promoting long-term survival, but because most patients are diagnosed at the later stage of disease, therefore only 10% of the patients are suitable for surgical resection.…”