Prophylaxis against Recurrence in Liver Transplantation Patients with Hepatitis B Virus: What is New?
Özgür Harmancı*1, Haldun Selçuk1 and Mehmet Haberal2
1Department of Gastroenterology, Başkent University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey; 2Department of General Surgery, BaşkentUniversity Medical School, Ankara, Turkey
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes an endemic infection that affects nearly 2 billion patients worldwide. It is one of the leading causes of liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and liver transplantation (LT). Recurrence of HBV infection after LT is due to specific HBV-host genome interactions. Although hepatitis B immunoglobulin treatment constituted the backbone of HBV recurrence, use of the nucleoside and nucleotide analogs (especially the ones with a higher genetic barrier to resistance), either alone or in combination, offer us new and powerful options in overcoming this serious issue.