Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34275138›Full record

ArticleAlimentary pharmacology & therapeutics2021

Serum hepatitis B virus RNA level is associated with biochemical relapse in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection who discontinue nucleos(t)ide analogue treatment.

Muye Xia, Heng Chi, Yaobo Wu, Bettina E Hansen, Zhandong Li, Shi Liu, GuiChan Liao, Xiaoyong Zhang, Bin Zhou, Jinlin Hou and 3 more

Abstract read
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Article in Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  7. Observational
  8. Lower Serum HBV RNA Level is Associated with Liver Cirrhosis in Patients Treated with Nucleos(t)ide Analogs: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study.The Turkish journal of gastroenterology : the official journal of Turkish Society of Gastroenterology · 2025
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  9. Review
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  13. [Expert consensus on measurement and clinical application of serum HBV RNA in patients with chronic HBV infection].Zhonghua gan zang bing za zhi = Zhonghua ganzangbing zazhi = Chinese journal of hepatology · 2022
    Article
  14. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Muye XiaState Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Heng ChiDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Yaobo WuState Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Bettina E HansenToronto Centre of Liver Disease, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Zhandong LiState Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Shi LiuState Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
GuiChan LiaoState Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Xiaoyong ZhangState Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Bin ZhouState Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Jinlin HouState Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8230-8583
Jian SunState Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0001-5320-227X
Harry L A JanssenToronto Centre of Liver Disease, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Jie PengState Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0003-0928-3134

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) discontinuation may be attempted in carefully selected patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection.

aimTo investigate whether a novel serum marker of quantitative hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA levels could predict biochemical relapse after NA discontinuation.

methodsWe prospepctively followed non-cirrhotic Asian patients with CHB who stopped NA according to pre-specified stopping criteria. The primary endpoint was biochemical relapse (HBV DNA >2000 IU/mL and alanine transaminase >2x upper limit of normal), which were also the re-treatment criteria.

resultsBiochemical relapse occurred in 50 patients (48.3% at year 6). Multivariable analysis showed that higher HBV RNA levels (HR 1.34; P < 0.001) at the time of NA discontinuation were associated with increased biochemical relapse risk. The area under the curve of HBV RNA at the time of NA discontinuation for the incidence of biochemical relapse was 0.760 at 6 years. Six years after treatment discontinuation, all patients with HBV RNA levels ≥20 000 copies/mL at the end of treatment developed a biochemical relapse compared with 23.8% of patients with HBV RNA levels<1000 copies/mL (P < 0.001). More patients with HBV RNA levels <1000 copies/mL at end of treatment achieved loss of hepatitis B surface antigen than patients with higher levels (30.9% vs 1.6%; P = 0.027).

conclusionsThe HBV RNA level at end of treatment predicted biochemical relapse after treatment discontinuation and may be used to guide decisions on treatment discontinuation.

Indexed as

Hepatitis B, ChronicHepatitis B virusAntiviral AgentsDNA, ViralHepatitis B e AntigensHepatitis B Surface AntigensHumansRecurrenceRNATreatment OutcomeAntiviral AgentsDNA, ViralHepatitis B e AntigensHepatitis B Surface AntigensRNA

Identifiers

PMID34275138

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.