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In a multicenter retrospective-prospective study of the waitlist status and outcomes of liver transplant patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) led by Natalie Bzowej from California Pacific Medical Center and Anna Lok from the University of Michigan found there to be a similar waitlist and posttransplant outcomes among Asian Americans, African Americans, and Caucasians with HBV. The study had 274 patients from 15 US centers studied were on the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) liver transplantation recipient waitlist between 1996 and 2005. The probability of transplantation 1, 3 and 5 years after listing was 53%, 75%, and 88% for African Americans; 48%, 58% and 66% for Asian Americans; and 48%, 57% and 63% for Caucasians.

Of the total number of study participants, 170 received transplantations between 2001and 2007. The probability of post-transplant survival at 5 years was 94% for African Americans, 85% for Asian Americans, and 89% for Caucasians. “Analysis indicated that HCC recurrence was the only predictor of post-transplant mortality while race, indication for transplant, and HBV recurrence were not,” the authors explained.  According to the research, Caucasians had a higher rate of HBV recurrence with the 4-year recurrence rate at 19% compared to 7% and 6% for Asian Americans and African Americans, respectively.