To investigate the role of mutant hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 20 patients with HCC were studied for precore and core promoter mutations in tumorous and nontumorous tissues. The precore and core promoter region was amplified and analyzed by direct sequencing. Among the 20 tumorous and nontumorous tissues, precore mutant HBV was found in 12 (60%) ...
