Associations between antibody to hepatitis B core antigen positivity and outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing hepatic resection

Aim We aimed to evaluate the effect of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAb)-positivity on the clinical outcomes after hepatic resection in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with negative hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis C virus antibody (HCVAb), termed non-B, non-C HCC (NBNC-HCC), or with HCV-related HCC. Methods Two hundred sixty-three patients who underwent hepatic resection for HCC and measurements of HBsAg, HCVAb, and HBcAb were enrolled in this study. Results The percentages of HBcAb positivity were 52.3% (n = 57) and 56.9% (n = 66) in patients with NBNC- and HCV-related HCC, respectively. The proportion of multiple NBNC-HCCs was significantly greater in patients with HBcAb-positivity compared to HBcAb-negativity (P = 0.028). There were no significant differences in the recurrence-free and overall survival rates between NBNC-HCC patients with HBcAb positivity vs. negativity (P = 0.461, and 0 = 0.190, respectively). Further, for HCV-related HCC patients, there were no significant differences in the baseline factors between patients with positive vs. negative HBcAb. The proportion of anatomical resection of the liver for HBcAb-positive HCV-related HCC patients was significantly greater than that of HBcAb-negative patients, while the recurrence-free and overall survival rates were not significantly different (P = 0.158, and 0 = 0.191, respectively). Conclusion In our study, the presence of HBcAb had no impact on the surgical outcomes after hepatic resection in patients with NBNB- and HCV-related HCC. Occult HBV infection might be associated with hepatocarcinogenesis in patients with NBNC-related HCC.