Incidence in South-west Scotland of hepatitis B surface antigen in the liver of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

A retrospective examination in South-west Scotland of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded liver tissue by an immunoperoxidase technique revealed hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in eight out of 81 cases (10%) of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) and in four out of 82 cases (5%) of cirrhosis. No positive staining was found in 112 controls without overt liver disease matched for age and sex. Unlike most previous studies showing an association between HBsAg and PHC, the present investigation was carried out in an area where HBs antigenaemia is infrequent and PHC is an uncommon tumour. While possibly hepatitis infection is an important cause of PHC, the association between HBsAg and PHC could be due merely to activation by the tumour of latent virus B in a previously infected person.