Value of HBsAg quantification in individualized anti-HBV treatment with nucleos (t) ide analogues

Nucleos (t) ide analogues can effectively prevent or delay disease progression in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but the course of treatment is long and long-term medication may bring the risk of adverse drug reactions and drug resistance. Recent studies have found that HBsAg quantification has an important value in individualized antiviral treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis B. This article reviews the research advances in the value of HBsAg quantification in judgment of indication for antiviral treatment with nucleos (t) ide analogues, prediction of therapeutic outcome, and timing of drug withdrawal, and it is pointed out that HBsAg quantification can help to determine the timing of antiviral treatment and predict the treatment outcome of patients at the beginning of antiviral treatment, during the treatment process, and when drug withdrawal is considered. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal predictive thresholds for different stages of HBeAg-positive or HBeAg-negative patients, as well as the optimal time point and thresholds for predicting treatment outcome during antiviral treatment with different nucleos (t) ide analogues.