Patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are at risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs). Several factors, including abnormal ALT levels during NA treatment, are associated with HCC risk; however, the mechanisms of ALT abnormalities remain unknown. Here, deletions in the preS1/2 region of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome were evaluated in the context of persistent ALT...