Primary liver cell carcinoma in the presence or absence of hepatitis B antigen.

The clinical course and pathological patterns of a group of 13 patients with both primary liver cell carcinoma and Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) are described and contrasted with those of 43 patients with primary liver cell carcinoma but without HBsAg. HBsAg-positive carcinoma patients demonstrated a higher incidence of splenomegaly, transudative ascites, and the presence of alpha-fetoprotein, although none of these reached statistical significance. Serum bilirubin was significantly higher in patients with HBsAg. HBsAg-positive carcinoma patients most frequently originated from countries where the presence of HBsAg is high in the general population. Survival time from the diagnosis of primary liver cell carcinoma was shorter in patients with HBsAg.