Secondary prevention of hepatitis B virus‐related hepatocellular carcinoma with current antiviral therapies

J Choi, YS Lim - The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences, 2021 - Wiley Online Library
The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences, 2021Wiley Online Library
Over the past decades, marked advancement has been made in the prevention and
treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Due to highly effective antiviral therapies for
chronic hepatitis B (CHB), long‐term clinical outcomes in patients with CHB has also been
dramatically improved. However, current antiviral therapies for CHB cannot completely
abolish the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, current treatment guidelines
for CHB should be interpreted with caution given that HBV‐associated …
Abstract
Over the past decades, marked advancement has been made in the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Due to highly effective antiviral therapies for chronic hepatitis B (CHB), long‐term clinical outcomes in patients with CHB has also been dramatically improved. However, current antiviral therapies for CHB cannot completely abolish the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, current treatment guidelines for CHB should be interpreted with caution given that HBV‐associated hepatocarcinogenesis could be underway in patients who are not eligible for antiviral therapies by current guidelines. Therefore, efforts to reconcile treatment guidelines with recent clinical evidence should be made for reducing further development of HCC. In this article, we review the secondary prevention of HBV‐related HCC with current antiviral therapies.
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