Effect of hepatitis B virus infection status on liver metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a cohort study

BACKGROUND: The impact of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection status on liver metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has not been thoroughly elucidated to date. This study aimed to determine how HBV infection status influences liver metastasis of NPC through the analysis of clinical samples. METHODS: A total of 1,367 patients with pathologically diagnosed NPC who received systemic treatment at Nanfang Hospital or Zhujiang Hospital between January 2005 and December 2015 were enrolled in this retrospective study. Based on their HBV infection status, these patients were separated into four groups: negative infection (n=492), chronic HBV infection (n=123), inactive HBV carrier (n=175), and resolved HBV infection (n=577). The relationship between HBV infection status and liver metastasis of NPC was examined. RESULTS: Compared with the negative infection group, we observed that an inactive HBV carrier status was related to liver metastasis in patients with NPC (HR: 0.392; 95% CI: 0.178–0.863; P=0.020). The resolved HBV infection group had a lower risk of liver metastasis than the negative infection group (HR: 0.621; 95% CI: 0.402–0.959; P=0.032). There was no direct association between HBV infection status and distant metastasis of NPC. CONCLUSIONS: Inactive HBV infections and resolved HBV infections are highly associated with a decreased risk of liver metastases in NPC patients compared with patients without HBV infections.