Original source form NTUH NEWS

 

Press Conference Photo, August 19, 2025 (L to R): Dr. Hwai-I Yang (GRC, Academia Sinica), Academician Chien-Jen Chen, Dr. Jia-Horng Kao (NTUH Vice Superintendent), Dr. Chun-Jen Liu, and Dr. Tai-Chung Tseng.

 

A collaborative research team from National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) and Academia Sinica has made groundbreaking advances in hepatitis B research, with two major studies published consecutively in the world’s leading medical journals Gut and Hepatology. Led by Dr. Tai-Chung Tseng of NTUH, the studies combined long-term follow-up data from the ERADICATE-B cohort, directed by Professor Jia-Horng Kao’s hepatitis research team at NTUH, and the REVEAL-HBV cohort, led by Academician Chien-Jen Chen, Distinguished Professor from the Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica. These findings provide new evidence for global liver cancer risk assessment and treatment decision-making in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

 

The first study focused on inactive CHB patients. The team found that non-cirrhotic inactive CHB patients with serum hepatitis B surface antigen levels below 100 IU/mL had an annual liver cancer incidence of only 0.08%—well below the internationally recommended 0.2% surveillance threshold—and a risk comparable to individuals without chronic viral hepatitis. This indicates that these patients are approaching the benchmark for hepatitis B cure, carrying significant implications for precision medicine and optimization of liver cancer surveillance strategies.

 

HBAg level identifies patients with inactive chronic hepatitis B from Asia with HCC risk below surveillance threshold

 

The second study targeted CHB patients in the immune-tolerant phase. For the first time, it was discovered that those with hepatitis B surface antigen levels ≥10,000 IU/mL exhibited delayed development of liver cancer. This finding helps to identify genuinely low-risk immune-tolerant individuals and avoid unnecessary treatment. The results were validated in a large Japanese cohort, underscoring the diverse clinical value of surface antigen across different disease stages.

 

Higher level of HBsAg associated with delayed development of HCC in immune-tolerant patients

 

Both studies were co-corresponded by Professor Jia-Horng Kao of NTUH and Associate Research Fellow Dr. Hwai-I Yang from the Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, highlighting Taiwan’s global leadership in liver disease epidemiology and longitudinal cohort studies. These landmark results not only help redefine “partial HBV cure” and the clinical management of the immune-tolerant phase but also provide strong evidence to inform future international HBV treatment guidelines.

 

Reference:
Hepatitis B surface antigen level identifies patients with inactive chronic hepatitis B from Asia with HCC risk below surveillance threshold
Higher level of HBsAg associated with delayed development of HCC in immune-tolerant patients