ABSTRACT
Background: This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors of HCC development in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related DC and who underwent long-term antiviral therapy. Methods: Data from 308 patients with HBV-related DC and long-term antiviral therapy were collected and retrospectively reviewed. Cox regression analysis was used to analyze independent risk factors of HCC development. Results: Data from 129 patients with definite records were analyzed. The median follow-up time was 5 years (range, 1 to 8 years). At the end of the follow-up, 41 (31.8%) patients developed HCC, and the time from DC diagnosis to HCC incidence who received antiviral therapy was 4.4 years (range, 1-7 years). The incidence of HCC was higher in males (30/78, 38.5%) than in females (11/51, 21.6%) (P = 0.04). Patients who developed HCC were significantly older than those who did not develop HCC (P < 0.01). The incidence of HCC in patients receiving nucleoside analogues, nucleotide analogues, and combination therapy was 34.7%, 38.1%, and 33.3%, respectively, and the difference showed no significant differences (P = 0.95). Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that male gender and age ≥50 years are independent risk factors of HCC development (OR = 2.987 and 2.408; 95% CI (1.301-6.858) and (1.126-5.149); P = 0.01 and 0.02, respectively). Conclusion: The risk of HCC remains to be high in patients with HBV-related DC, especially in males aged ≥50 years.
