BACKGROUND.
Although there have been many seroepideniiologic studies on hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurrence. the actual role of I ICV in hepatocarcinogenesis is unknown.
METHODS.
We have previously reported on a highly sensitive method of detecting and identifying sequences of KNA genome in formalin fixed, paraffin embedded (E'FI'E) tissue by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. IJsing this method, we carried out a retrospective study to determine the jlrevalence of HCV and hepatitis I3 virus (IIBV) genornes in FFI'E specimens from 102 Japanese patients with HCC.
RESULTS.
HCV-RNA was detected by nested PCK reverse transcription (RT) in 64 of the 102 patients (62.7%), and 78.1% (50/61) of those HCV-RNA-positive patients had HCV genotype 11. HCV-RNA was present in 54 of 70 (77.1%) anti-IICV-positive patients, and also in 5 of 20 (25%) anti-HCV-negative patients. IIBV-LISA was detected by nested PCR in I W E liver specimens from 21 of 102 (20.6%) patients. HRV-DNA positivity was consistent with seropositivity for scruni I IUV markers in 17 of these 21 patients (80.9%). HBV-I)NA was present in F I V E samples froin 2 patients who were seronegative for HBV markers, and in 1 patient who was seropositive for anti-HBs. Double infection of these two viruses was found in 6 patients (5.9%). Three patients (2.9%) were negative for both hepatic viral genonies and serum viral markers. CONCLUSIONS. The precise prevalence of IICV and/or HBV infection among HCC patients can be determined by studying roiitinely-processed F l W I ICC samples preserved for up to 11 years using the technique of nested PCR. HCV-KNA was detected in the majority of our I K C cases; type I1 was the most comnion genotvpe of HCV encountered. The incidence of HCV-associated HCC was three times greater than that of I IRV. Thus. the hepatitis virus infection most frequently associated, and probably ectologically implicated, with I1CC in Japanese people is HCV infection. Chncer 1996; 721787-91.