ArticleBMC cancer2023
Pre-diagnostic anti-EBV antibodies and primary liver cancer risk: a population-based nested case-control study in southern China.
Article in BMC cancer, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoepithelioma-like intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with concurrent hepatitis B virus infection: case report and literature review.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2026Article
- Guangdong Biobank Cohort (GDBC) study.European journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Pan-microbial serological repertoire as a biomarker of immunotherapy response in hepatocellular carcinoma.Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2025Article
- Epstein-Barr Virus Seropositivity, Immune Dysregulation, and Mortality in Pediatric Sepsis.JAMA network open · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundWe aimed to investigate associations between pre-diagnostic anti-Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibodies, including interactions with hepatitis B virus (HBV), and risk of primary liver cancer in southern China.
methodsIn a population-based nested case-control study, we measured pre-diagnostic immunoglobulin A (IgA) against EBV nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) and viral capsid antigen (VCA) in 125 primary liver cancer cases and 2077 matched controls. We also explored the interaction between HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-EBV antibodies.
resultsParticipants with positive EBNA1-IgA, positive VCA-IgA or single-positive anti-EBV antibodies had two-fold odds of developing liver cancer, compared with seronegative subjects. The odds ratios (ORs) between the relative optical density of EBNA1-IgA and VCA-IgA and primary cancer, controlling for age and HBsAg, were 1.59 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.17, 2.14) and 1.60 (95% CI: 1.07, 2.41), respectively. Subjects with both HBsAg and anti-EBV antibody seropositivity were at 50-fold increased risk compared with those negative for both biomarkers (OR: 50.67, 95% CI: 18.28, 140.46), yielding a relative excess risk due to interaction of 30.81 (95% CI: 3.42, 114.93).
conclusionPre-diagnostic seropositivity for EBNA1-IgA and/or VCA-IgA was positively associated with primary liver cancer risk, especially in combination with HBsAg positivity. EBV may interact with HBV in the development of primary liver cancer, and anti-EBV antibodies might be potential biomarkers for primary liver cancer in this high-risk population.
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