The relationship between GUT microbiome alterations and hepatocellular carcinoma development in chronic hepatitis B patients: a clinical and microbiological study from iraq
Abstract
Objective: To investigate the relationship between gut microbiome composition and the development of HCC in Iraqi patients with chronic HBV infection. Method: A cross-sectional case-control study was conducted involving 150 participants divided into three groups: HBV with HCC (n=60), HBV without HCC (n=60), and healthy controls (n=30). Clinical, biochemical, and microbiome data (16S rRNA sequencing of fecal samples) were collected. Statistical analyses included ANOVA, chi-square, and Pearson correlation. Results: Patients with HCC exhibited significant dysbiosis, characterized by decreased microbial diversity (Shannon index: 2.8 ± 0.4) compared to HBV-only (3.6 ± 0.5) and controls (4.1 ± 0.3), p<0.001. Increased abundance of Bacteroides fragilis and Enterobacteriaceae correlated with higher AFP levels (r=0.63, p<0.001). Novelty: Gut microbiome alterations are associated with HCC development in chronic HBV patients. These findings suggest potential microbiome-based biomarkers for early detection and therapeutic strategies.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case-control, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 150 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Bile Acid 7α-Dehydroxylating Gut Bacteria Secrete Antibiotics that Inhibit Clostridium difficile: Role of Secondary Bile Acids
- Ketogenic diet alleviates colitis by reduction of colonic group 3 innate lymphoid cells through altering gut microbiome
- Altered gut microbiome composition and function are associated with gut barrier dysfunction in healthy relatives of patients with Crohn's disease
- Diet, obesity, and the gut microbiome as determinants modulating metabolic outcomes in a non-human primate model
- Immune Impairment Associated with Vitamin A Deficiency: Insights from Clinical Studies and Animal Model Research
- Glyphosate-based herbicides influence antioxidants, reproductive hormones and gut microbiome but not reproduction: A long-term experiment in an avian model
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.