Clinical implications of hepatitis B viral infection in Epstein–Barr virus-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Little is known about the clinical implication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors in patients with newly-diagnosed NPC with HBV infection. A total of 722 patients with pathologically-diagnosed NPC who received comprehensive treatment at First People's Hospital of Foshan between June 2006 and December 2011 were enrolled in this retrospective study; 79 and 643 patients were HBsAg(+) and HBsAg(−), respectively. The correlations between HBV (HBsAg status and HBV DNA load) and EBV DNA were analyzed, further long-term survival and prognostic factors also were explored. We reported NPC patients with HBsAg(+) represented worse outcome, and distant-failure especially liver metastasis was more common in these patients. HBV infection was more frequent in younger patients and male patients. No correlation was observed between the pre-treatment plasma EBV DNA load (cutoff, 1500 copies/ml) and HBsAg status (positive or negative; r = −0.036, P = 0.392), or the pre-treatment plasma EBV DNA load and HBV DNA load (r = 0.042, P = 0823). Both HBV and EBV infection is an independent negative prognostic factor for long-term survival, distant metastasis, especially liver metastasis, was more common in NPC patients with HBsAg(+), and it seemed no link between EBV DNA load and HBsAg status in NPC.