Background/ Aim: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is sometimes considered a risk factor for pancreatic cancer (PDAC), but the prognostic value of its presence has only rarely been investigated. The present study aimed to explore the impact of HBV after resection for PDAC.
Materials and methods: According to HBV surface antigen seroreactivity, 343 patients were classified as having non-viral or HBV-related cases of PDAC. Clinicopathological data and outcomes were comparatively assessed between the groups.
Results: Chronic HBV infection was observed in 16 patients (4.5%). No significant differences between the HBV and non-viral cases of PDAC were observed. Tumor diameters (3.4 vs. 3.0, p=0.092) and stages at diagnosis (31 vs. 14% T1-T2, p=0.082) tended to differ between the groups, albeit without reaching significance. Completion of adjuvant therapy (63 vs. 54%, p=0.612), as well as median overall survival (15 vs. 17 months, p=0.346) was similar in the HBV and non-viral PDAC groups.
Conclusion: HBV-positive and virus-free patients with PDAC generally shared the same demographic, clinical and pathological profiles. HBV did not appear to have a detrimental effect on either early or long-term outcomes after resection for PDAC. Future studies searching for occult infection might, however, shed a different light on the role of HBV in PDAC.
Keywords: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma; hepatitis B virus; pancreatectomy.
Copyright© 2015 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.