Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 14, 2015; 21(2): 584-592
Published online Jan 14, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i2.584
Prophylaxis against hepatitis B virus recurrence after liver transplantation: A registry study
Shu Shen, Li Jiang, Guang-Qin Xiao, Lu-Nan Yan, Jia-Yin Yang, Tian-Fu Wen, Bo Li, Wen-Tao Wang, Ming-Qing Xu, Yong-Gang Wei
Shu Shen, Li Jiang, Guang-Qin Xiao, Lu-Nan Yan, Jia-Yin Yang, Tian-Fu Wen, Bo Li, Wen-Tao Wang, Ming-Qing Xu, Yong-Gang Wei, Liver Transplantation Center, Department of Liver Surgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Shen S and Jiang L contributed equally to this study; Jiang L, Wen TF, Yan LN and Li B introduced the idea and designed the work; Yang JY, Wang WT and Wei YG analyzed the data; Shen S drafted the article; Jiang L and Xiao GQ revised the article; and Yang JY approved the version to be published.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Li Jiang, MD, Liver Transplantation Center, Department of Liver Surgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxuexiang Road, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. jiangli029@163.com
Telephone: +86-28-85422871 Fax: +86-28-85422871
Received: May 19, 2014
Peer-review started: May 20, 2014
First decision: June 27, 2014
Revised: August 4, 2014
Accepted: November 11, 2014
Article in press: November 11, 2014
Published online: January 14, 2015
Abstract

AIM: To evaluate the prophylactic efficacy of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) in combination with different nucleos(t)ide analogues.

METHODS: A total of 5333 hepatitis B surface antigen-positive patients from the China Liver Transplant Registry database were enrolled between January 2000 and December 2009. Low-dose intramuscular (im) HBIG combined with one nucleos(t)ide analogue has been shown to be very cost-effective in recent reports. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) prophylactic outcomes were compared based on their posttransplant prophylactic protocols [group A (n = 4684): im HBIG plus lamivudine; group B (n = 491): im HBIG plus entecavir; group C (n = 158): im HBIG plus adefovir dipivoxil]. We compared the related baseline characteristics among the three groups, including the age, male sex, Meld score at the time of transplantation, Child-Pugh score at the time of transplantation, HCC, pre-transplantation hepatitis B e antigen positivity, pre-transplantation HBV deoxyribonucleic acid (HBV DNA) positivity, HBV DNA at the time of transplantation, pre-transplantation antiviral therapy, and the duration of antiviral therapy before transplantation of the patients. We also calculated the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates and HBV recurrence rates according to the different groups. All potential risk factors were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS: The mean follow-up duration was 42.1 ± 30.3 mo. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were lower in group A than in groups B (86.2% vs 94.4%, 76.9% vs 86.6%, 73.7% vs 82.4%, respectively, P < 0.001) and C (86.2% vs 92.5%, 76.9% vs 73.7%, 87.0% vs 81.6%, respectively, P < 0.001). The 1-, 3- and 5-year posttransplant HBV recurrence rates were significantly higher in group A than in group B (1.7% vs 0.5%, 3.5% vs 1.5%, 4.7% vs 1.5%, respectively, P = 0.023). No significant difference existed between groups A and C and between groups B and C with respect to the 1-, 3- and 5-year HBV recurrence rates. Pretransplant hepatocellular carcinoma, high viral load and posttransplant prophylactic protocol (lamivudine and HBIG vs entecavir and HBIG) were associated with HBV recurrence.

CONCLUSION: Low-dose intramuscular HBIG in combination with a nucleos(t)ide analogue provides effective prophylaxis against posttransplant HBV recurrence, especially for HBIG plus entecavir.

Keywords: Viral hepatitis, Recurrence, Liver transplantation, Hepatitis B immunoglobulin, Nucleos(t)ide analogue

Core tip: Little is known about which protocol has the optimal prophylactic effects against hepatitis B virus (HBV) recurrence. In this study, we used data from the China Liver Transplant Registry database to evaluate the long-term prophylactic efficacy of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) in combination with different nucleos(t)ide analogues and determine the risk factors for HBV recurrence. This nationwide multicenter study demonstrated that low-dose intramuscular HBIG in combination with a nucleos(t)ide analogue provides effective prophylaxis against recurrent HBV infection posttransplantation at approximately 5% of the cost of conventional high-dose intravenous HBIG regimens. Among them, low-dose intramuscular HBIG combined with entecavir has better prophylactic efficacy than the combination of low-dose intramuscular HBIG and lamivudine.