The detection of HBV antigens and HBx-transcripts in an Indian fibrolamellar carcinoma patient: A case study

Abstract

Fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) of the liver is a rare variant of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we report the case of a 12-year-old Indian male with typical FLC with no apparent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and a non-cirrhotic liver. The patient, though seronegative for HBsAg, showed expression of HBcAg in both the liver and tumour tissue. RT-PCR analysis revealed the presence of full-length HBx-transcripts in both liver/tumour tissue, along with truncated HBx-transcripts only in the tumour tissue. The lymphocytes in both peripheral and liver/tumour compartments showed a proliferative response to either/or HBcAg and HBxAg, which could be further augmented on addition of rIL-2. This is the first study to show not only the presence of HBcAg in the liver/tumour tissue but also prior exposure of the FLC patient's lymphocytes to HBV antigens. Also, the presence of the full-length and truncated HBx-transcripts in the tumour tissue, a proposed tumorigenic marker for hepatocarcinogenesis in chronic HBV patients, suggests an oncogenic role of HBV in this rare variant of HCC.