Gut Liver.  2017 Jul;11(4):528-534. 10.5009/gnl16403.

A Novel Model for Predicting Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B and Normal Alanine Aminotransferase Levels

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. sw.paik@samsung.com
  • 2Department of Internal Medicine and Liver Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 3Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology Center, Research Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can develop in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Therefore, methods that can stratify an individual's HCC risk are needed.
METHODS
A simple HCC risk score was developed from 971 patients with CHB who had elevated hepatitis B virus DNA levels (>2,000 IU/mL) with normal or mildly elevated ALT levels (<80 U/L). The score was validated from an independent cohort of 507 patients.
RESULTS
A 4-point risk scale was developed, with HCC risk ranging from 0% to 17.8% at 5 years for the lowest and highest risk scores. The D2AS score had high area under the receiver operating curves (AUROCs) for predicting development of HCC at 3/5 years (0.895/0.884). The calculated AUROCs to predict the development of HCC at 3/5 years were 0.889/0.876 in the validation cohort, with 5-year HCC incidence rates ranging from 0% to 13.8% at 5 years for the lowest and highest risk scores.
CONCLUSIONS
The D2AS risk score can play a valuable role in risk stratification and may be useful for guiding clinical decisions for enhanced surveillance or treatment to reduce the HCC risk in CHB patients with normal or mildly elevated ALT levels.

Keyword

Carcinoma; hepatocellular; Hepatitis B; Liver function tests

MeSH Terms

Adult
Alanine Transaminase/*blood
Area Under Curve
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*virology
Cohort Studies
Female
Hepatitis B, Chronic/blood/*complications
Humans
Liver Neoplasms/*virology
Male
Middle Aged
Predictive Value of Tests
Risk Assessment/*methods
Risk Factors
Alanine Transaminase
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