Effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on patients with hepatitis B virus infection

Hsien-Chen Mon; Pei-Chang Lee; Chen-Ta Chi; Yi-Hsiang Huang

doi:10.1097/JCMA.0000000000001202

Effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on patients with hepatitis B virus infection

J Chin Med Assoc. 2024 Dec 27. doi: 10.1097/JCMA.0000000000001202. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Hsien-Chen Mon¹, Pei-Chang Lee^{1

2}, Chen-Ta Chi^{1

2

3}, Yi-Hsiang Huang^{1

2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
² School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
³ Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
⁴ Healthcare and Services Center, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.

PMID: 39726106
DOI: 10.1097/JCMA.0000000000001202

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is regarded as a major health concern worldwide. In patients with chronic HBV infection, exhausted virus-specific CD8+ T cells, resulting from the activation of the programmed cell death protein 1 and programmed death ligand 1 axis, play a key role in the chronicity of infection. Functional cure for HBV, defined as the seroclearance of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), is viewed as the optimal goal of chronic HBV infection treatment because HBsAg loss is associated with a low risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and a relatively favorable prognosis. Both interferon treatment and finite antiviral therapy have been found to be associated with positive HBV outcomes. Overall, combining immune checkpoint inhibitors with nucleos(t)ide analogs appears to be a promising approach for achieving HBsAg loss, particularly in patients with low HBsAg levels.