Combining end-of-treatment HBsAg and baseline hepatitis B core-related antigen reduce HBV relapse rate after tenofovir cessation.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE The study investigated the role of hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) in hepatitis B virus (HBV) relapse after stopping tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in HBeAg-negative patients. METHODS A total of 185 HBeAg-negative patients without cirrhosis who had stopped TDF treatment for at least 6 months were recruited. All patients fulfilled the stopping criteria proposed by the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver 2012. RESULTS The 3-year cumulative incidences of virological relapse, clinical relapse, and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss were 72, 60.1 and 14.5%, respectively. End-of-treatment (EOT) HBsAg level was an independent predictor of virological relapse (hazard ratio (HR): 2.263; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.779-2.887), clinical relapse (HR 1.773; 95% CI 1.367-2.298), and HBsAg loss (HR 0.179; 95% CI 0.096-0.335). Among patients who had HBsAg   3 log10 U/mL were 42.9 and 7.9% (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The combination of EOT HBsAg and baseline HBcrAg levels could further reduce the risk of HBV relapse after stopping TDF therapy in HBeAg-negative patients.