Research News
Factors Influencing Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Seroclearance Rates After Stopping Nucleos(t)ide Analogues in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology has shed light on the factors influencing hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance rates after stopping nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The study, which analyzed data from 62 studies involving 9,867 patients, revealed a pooled HBsAg seroclearance rate of 10%.
The researchers identified several key factors affecting seroclearance rates, including ethnicity, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) status, and follow-up duration. Specifically, HBeAg-negative patients showed significantly higher seroclearance rates compared to HBeAg-positive patients (11% vs. 5%, p=0.030). Additionally, longer follow-up periods (>5 years) were associated with higher seroclearance rates (18%, p=0.004), and Caucasians showed a higher rate (12%) than Asians (9%, p=0.067). Patients with end-of-treatment (EOT) quantitative HBsAg (qHBsAg) levels ≤2.0 log IU/mL had higher seroclearance rates (23%) than those with >2.0 log IU/mL (11%).
The meta-analysis also highlighted the role of ethnicity, HBeAg status, and follow-up duration as significant contributors to heterogeneity in HBsAg seroclearance rates.
These findings underscore the importance of personalized NA discontinuation strategies and the need for further research on HBV genotypes and biomarkers to improve treatment outcomes and predict seroclearance more accurately.