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Long-term clinical outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are assumed to be improved by therapy. However, because outcomes such as cirrhotic complications and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) take so long to occur, current treatment trials have assessed outcomes using surrogate endpoints, including biochemical response (normalization of alanine aminotransferase), virologic response (suppression of HBV DNA and seroconversion of hepatitis B e antigen), and histologic response (reduction in necroinflammation grade by 2 points or more without worsening of fibrosis).
To evaluate whether these surrogate endpoints accurately reflect long-term clinical outcomes, investigators conducted a prospective cohort study involving …