HBsAg <100 IU/mL Identifies Inactive Chronic HBV Patients with HCC Risk Below Surveillance Threshold

Highlight

• In a pooled analysis of 2,674 non‑cirrhotic, HBeAg‑negative patients with inactive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) from two Asian cohorts, baseline HBsAg <100 IU/mL identified a subgroup with an annual HCC incidence of 0.08% (95% CI 0.05–0.13%), below commonly used surveillance thresholds (~0.2%/year).

• The HBsAg <100 IU/mL group had a markedly lower adjusted hazard for HCC (adjusted HR 0.35; 95% CI 0.21–0.61) compared with those with HBsAg ≥100 IU/mL, even after accounting for age and other covariates.