Hepatitis B virus maintains its pro-oncogenic properties in the case of occult HBV infection.

Background & Aims: Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by persistence of HBV DNA into the tissue of hepatitis B surface antigen-negative individuals. The clinical relevance of this peculiar infection is still under debate. In particular, the impact of occult HBV infection in cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is uncertain. We investigated the prevalence and molecular status of occult HBV in patients with HCC. Methods: We tested tumor tissues from 107 patients with HCC and the corresponding nontumor liver tissue from 72 of these patients for HBV DNA. We also examined liver specimens from 192 patients with chronic hepatitis. All cases were hepatitis B surface antige…