An adolescent female having hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatitis B virus genotype H with a deletion mutation in the pre-S2 region

The genotypes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) have a distinct geographical distribution, with HBV genotype H being very rare in East Asia, including Japan. We herein report the case of a 12-year-old Japanese female with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who exhibited HBV genotype H. Notably, the HBV isolated from the patient had a deletion mutation in the pre-S2 region. The genome of HBV genotype H in the patient with HCC has not been analyzed in detail. The deletion mutations in the pre-S2 region, which may play an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis in children, can also present in genotype H. (C) 2014, Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.