Tenofovir vs. entecavir in chronic hepatitis B: A retrospective cohort study of hepatocellular carcinoma risk in a tertiary hospital in southern Brazil

Treatment with TDF was associated with a lower risk of HCC compared to ETV in the bivariate analysis, but this association lost significance in the multivariate analysis. These findings suggest that the initially observed protective effect of TDF against hepatic carcinogenesis may have been partially explained by confounding factors (cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis and age), as well as reflecting the limited sample size. Further studies are warranted to provide a more robust comparative evaluation of antiviral therapies.