Infection with GB virus C in the patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma in Japan

RNA of recently reported, putative non-A to E hepatitis virus designated GB virus C (GBV-C) was determined by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in sera from 231 Japanese patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma. GBV-C RNA was detected in 21 patients (9% of the total), including two of the 23 patients (8%) with markers of hepatitis B virus infection, 11 of the 114 patients (10%) with markers of hepatitis C virus infection, seven of the 86 patients (8%) with markers of both hepatitis B and C virus infections, and one of the eight patients (13%) without such markers. These results indicate that the contribution of GBV-C infection to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma would be small either by itself or in cooperation with hepatitis B and C viruses. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.