Presence of HBsAg and anti-HBs in patients with primary liver cancer or hepatic metastases.

The presence of HBsAg was detected in the serum of 1 out of 13 patients with chronic hepatitis, in 2 out of the 7 patients with liver metastases, but in none of the 10 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) investigated. HBsAg could be visualized by orcein staining in the liver cells of 66.6% of the HCC patients, in 50% of the patients with liver metastases and in 40% of the patients with liver cirrhosis. The prevalence of anti-HBs was low both in HCC patients and in the control groups. The possible significance of these findings is discussed.