In a small study of liver‑cancer patients with active hepatitis B, adding the immune‑boosting peptide thymosin‑alpha‑1 to the antiviral drug lamivudine after surgery dramatically lowered the virus in the blood and helped more patients clear a viral marker, while also nudging the time before the cancer came back and overall survival a few months longer.

To observe the effect of postoperative anti-viral therapy using lamivudine and thymosin alpha1 on recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) coexisting with active hepatitis B. From Jan. 2000 to Dec. 2002, 33 HCC patients with coexisting with active hepatitis B were randomized into two groups: Group I (n = 17) received hepatectomy only, and Group II (n = 16) received hepatectomy and postoperative therapy using lamivudine plus thymosin alpha1. The suppression of HBV-DNA, HBeAg seroconversion rate, tumor recurrence rate and median survival in the two groups were observed and compared. In Group II and Group I, the 1-year HBV-DNA suppression rate was 100.0% vs 6.0% (P < 0.01), HBeAg seroconversion rate was 62.5% vs 5.9% (P < 0.05), tumor recurrence rate was 81.3% vs 95.5% (P > 0.05), the recurrence time was 7.0 vs 5.0 months (P < 0.01) and median survival 10.0 vs 7.0 months (P < 0.01). Anti-viral therapy using lamivudine and thymosin alpha1 postoperatively may suppress the HBV reaction, delay the recurrence and prolong the survival for patients with HCC with coexisting active hepatitis B.