Early hepatitis B viral DNA clearance predicts treatment response at week 96

• Published in: World journal of gastroenterology : WJG 2017-04, Vol.23 (16), p.2978-2986
• Main Authors: Fu, Xiao-Yu, Tan, De-Ming, Liu, Cui-Mei, Gu, Bin, Hu, Li-Hua, Peng, Zhong-Tian, Chen, Bin, Xie, Yuan-Lin, Gong, Huan-Yu, Hu, Xiao-Xuan, Yao, Lian-Hui, Xu, Xiao-Ping, Fu, Zheng-Yuan, He, Lang-Qiu, Li, Si-Hai, Long, Yun-Zhu, Li, De-Hui, Gu, Ji-Long, Peng, Shi-Fang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenine - analogs & derivatives; Adenine - therapeutic use; Adult; Antiviral Agents - adverse effects; Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Area Under Curve; China; Clinical Trials Study; DNA, Viral - blood; Female; Guanine - analogs & derivatives; Guanine - therapeutic use; Hepatitis B e Antigens - blood; Hepatitis B virus - drug effects; Hepatitis B virus - genetics; Hepatitis B virus - immunology; Hepatitis B, Chronic - blood; Hepatitis B, Chronic - diagnosis; Hepatitis B, Chronic - drug therapy; Humans; Lamivudine - therapeutic use; Male; Middle Aged; Organophosphonates - therapeutic use; Predictive Value of Tests; Prospective Studies; ROC Curve; Thymidine - analogs & derivatives; Thymidine - therapeutic use; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Viral Load
• ISSN: 1007-9327; 2219-2840
• DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i16.2978

To investigate whether hepatitis viral DNA load at 24 wk of treatment predicts response at 96 wk in patients with chronic hepatitis B. A total of 172 hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B patients who received initial treatment at 16 tertiary hospitals in Hunan Province, China were enrolled in this study. All patients received conventional doses of lamivudine and adefovir dipivoxil, telbivudine, entecavir dispersible tablets, or entecavir tablets for 96 wk. Patients who used other antiviral drugs or antitumor and immune regulation therapy were excluded. Patients were stratified into three groups according to their viral DNA load at 24 wk: < 10 IU/mL (group 1), 10-10 IU/mL (group 2), and > 10 IU/mL (group 3). Correlations of 24-wk DNA load with HBeAg negative status and HBeAg seroconversion at 96 wk were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to test the predictive value of the HBV DNA load at 24 wk for long-term response. The rates of conversion to HBeAg negative status and HBeAg seroconversion rates were 53.7% and 51.9%, respectively, in group 1; 35.21% and 32.39% in group 2; and 6.38% and 6.38% in group 3. The receiver operating characteristic curves for the three subgroups revealed that the lowest DNA load (< 10 IU/mL) was better correlated with response at 96 wk than a higher DNA load (10-10 IU/mL). Nested PCR was used for amplifying and sequencing viral DNA in patients with a viral DNA load > 200 IU/mL at 96 wk; resistance mutations involving different loci were present in 26 patients, and three of these patients had a viral DNA load 10-10 IU/mL at 96 wk. Hepatitis B viral DNA load at 24 wk of antiviral treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B is a predictor of the viral load and response rate at 96 wk.