Role of serum hepatitis B virus RNA quantification in guiding antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and end-stage liver disease caused by such infection pose a serious threat to the health of Chinese citizens. The presence of HBV cccDNA is the main reason for the difficulties in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and recurrence after drug withdrawal. HBV RNA, as a new serum marker, is produced by cccDNA transcription, and theoretically, it can reflect the level and transcriptional activity of cccDNA in hepatocytes. This article mainly introduces the formation of serum HBV RNA and analyzes its significance in evaluating the activity or status of cccDNA in liver tissue and predicting patients’ response during antiviral therapy and after drug withdrawal. Moreover, it is pointed out that further large-scale clinical studies are needed to verify and improve the clinical significance of serum HBV RNA measurement, so as to further optimize the regimens of antiviral therapy and guide the precision treatment of patients.