HEPATITIS B VIRUS INFECTION AND HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA IN PLWH: EPIDEMIOLOGY, PATHOGENESIS AND TREATMENT

Abstract

Combined Antiretroviral therapy altered the natural history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, leading to a substantial decline in morbidity and mortality of patients living with HIV. Due to the shared transmission routes, co-infection with HBV and HIV is not uncommon, especially in those patients with similar socioeconomic vulnerabilities and psycho-social conditions. HBV is a known cause of HCC even in absence of cirrhosis, and HIV-HBV-coinfected patients may have faster progression of hepatic fibrosis and a higher risk of cirrhosis and consequently HCC. In this article we review the epidemiology, the etiology, the role of coinfection HIV/HBV in the pathogenesis of liver cancer, the management and prevention of HBV infection in HIV-infected patients in the era of combined antiretroviral treatment.