A case–control study on sequence variations in the enhancer II/core promoter/precore and X genes of hepatitis B virus in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

PURPOSE: To evaluate the sequence variations in the enhancer II (EnhII)/basal core promotor (BCP)/precore (PC) and X genes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Thai patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by conducting a cross-sectional case-control study. METHODS: As much as 60 patients with HCC and 60 patients without HCC, who were matched for sex, age, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) status, and HBV genotype, were included. Viral mutations in the EnhII/BCP/PC and X regions were characterized by direct sequencing in serum samples. RESULTS: The prevalence of T1753C/A, A1762T/G1764A and G1899A mutations were significantly higher in the HCC group compared to the non-HCC group (43.3 vs. 23.3%, P = 0.02; 88.3 vs. 53.0%, P < 0.001; and 35.0 vs. 8.3%, P = 0.001, respectively). No significant difference between groups was found with respect to G1613A, C1653T, C1766T/T1768A, A1846T/C, T1858C, and G1896A mutations. By multiple logistic regression analysis, the presence of cirrhosis, A1762T/G1764A and G1899A mutations were independently associated with the risk of HCC. CONCLUSION: These data suggested that A1762T/G1764A and G1899A mutations were associated with the development of HCC in Thai patients.