# Gut microbiome dysbiosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with persistent HCV viremia versus viral clearance: a cross-sectional study

## TL;DR

This study finds that gut microbiome changes are linked to liver cancer in people with ongoing hepatitis C virus infection, even after treatment.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific gut microbial signatures associated with HCC in patients with persistent HCV viremia.

## Key findings

- RHCC patients showed reduced gut microbiome diversity and higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio.
- Asteroleplasma was enriched while butyrate-producing Faecalibacterium was reduced in RHCC patients.
- Machine learning identified several genera as top classifiers of RHCC with an AUC of 0.81.

## Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a lethal complication of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, even after successful direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy. The gut microbiome influences hepatocarcinogenesis through the gut‒liver axis; however, the microbial signatures associated with HCC in DAA-treated patients are poorly defined. This study aimed to elucidate the patterns of microbiomes in HCV-treated patients who developed HCC, with a focus on bacterial diversity, differentially represented taxa, and their associations with clinical markers (FIB-4) and metabolic profiles as potential biomarkers.

A total of 138 participants were enrolled: 46 HCC patients with persistent HCV viremia (RHCC), 46 HCC patients with HCV eradication (THCC), and 46 healthy controls. RHCC patients exhibited pronounced dysbiosis, characterized by reduced alpha diversity (Kruskal–Wallis; H = 14.37, p = 0.00076) and an elevated Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio (1.55 vs. 1.05 in controls; Mann–Whitney U test, U = 87.32, padj = 0.00079). At the genus level, Asteroleplasma was significantly enriched in RHCC (log₂FC = + 2.8, padj = 0.008), whereas the butyrate-producing genus Faecalibacterium was depleted (log₂FC = − 2.1, padj = 0.006). Machine learning identified Asteroleplasma, Moryella, Lachnoclostridium, Fournierella, Eubacterium xylanophilum, Succinivibrio, and Faecalibacterium as the top classifiers of RHCC (AUC = 0.81). Functional profiling revealed a 58% reduction in butyrate synthesis (padj = 0.0032) and increased lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis (log₂FC = + 3.2, padj = 0.002) in RHCC, both of which correlated with clinical deterioration (FIB-4 scores, r = 0.62).

Distinct gut microbial signatures distinguish HCC patients with persistent HCV viremia from those who achieve viral clearance, with implications for risk stratification and therapeutic targeting. The F/B ratio, abundance of Asteroleplasma, and functional pathway disruption (butyrate depletion) could serve as potential biomarkers for HCC progression. These findings underscore the influential role of the gut microbiome in hepatocarcinogenesis and its potential utility in personalized HCC management.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13099-025-00761-w.