Infection with Hepatitis B Virus May Increase the Serum Concentrations of Osteopontin.

Background: Serum osteopontin (OPN) concentrations were found to be significantly increased in patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the association among HCC, OPN, and HBV.

Methods: Two hundred and forty-one subjects were recruited and divided into 6 groups: healthy controls, asymptomatic HBsAg carriers, HBsAg (-) patients with other tumors, HBsAg (+) chronic liver disease patients, HBsAg (+) patients with HCC, and HBsAg (-) patients with HCC or liver cirrhosis (LC). Serum concentrations of OPN and HBsAg were measured and analyzed.

Results: OPN concentrations in the HBsAg (+) HCC group were significantly higher than the healthy control group and the HBsAg (-) patients with other cancers (both p = 0.0001). The OPN concentrations of the HBsAg (-) patients with HCC or LC also did not differ significantly from those of the healthy control group (p = 0.075). There is a correlation between the titer of HBsAg and concentrations of OPN in all 3 HBsAg (+) groups (all p values <0.05).

Conclusions: Infection with HBV may increase the serum concentrations of OPN. The association of OPN and HCC may be not attributable to tumor development per se but, rather, to HBV infection.