Elevated serum HBV DNA level increases risk of hepatocarcinogenesis?

A case report published on May 21, 2008 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology describes that higher plasma HBV DNA levels are independently associated with an increased risk of liver cancer in China. To determine whether viral load is associated with liver cancer risk, Professor Xi-Zhong Shen and his colleagues conducted a nested case-control study among male hepatitis B virus carriers in Qidong, Shanghai, China. HBV DNA levels in 170 patients diagnosed with liver cancer during 10 years of follow-up and 276 control subjects were measured. The results indicate that serum HBV DNA level is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma and patients with a high viral load have a high potential for hepatocarcinogenesis. However, further study is needed to verify the relationship between viral load and development of liver cancer.