Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cirrhosis (LC) occur in spite of current antiviral therapies in patients with chronic hepatitis (CHB). It is not yet known why HCC and LC are related to hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), respectively, in the same inflammation circumstances. The expression of the phosphorylated form of histone H2AX (γ-H2AX), a biomarker of DNA damage, was detected in hepatocytes and interstitial cells within the liver tissues of 69 patients with CHB using immunohistochemical assay and immunofluorescence colocalisation technique. Hydrogen peroxide (H