Hepatitis C ups liver cancer risk, study confirms

	Tweet

The risk of a rare form of liver cancer called intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, which occurs in the bile ducts of the liver, is significantly elevated in individuals who are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), according to a large “case-control” study of US veterans.

HCV-infected individuals are also at increased risk for another type of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma, the study shows. Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.

The findings stem from a look at 146,394 HCV-infected and 572,293 uninfected adults, mostly men, who were followed for an average of more than 2 years. 

When comparing HCV-infected with HCV-uninfected subjects, the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma was 15-fold higher in the infected group and the risk of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma was 2.5-fold higher. The risk of pancreatic cancer was 23 percent higher.

Analyses adjusting for other variables, such as alcohol use and inflammation of the pancreas), confirmed the strong association between HCV infection and hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. However, the association between HCV and pancreatic cancer was no longer statistically significant.

Dr. Hashem B. El-Serag, at the Houston VA Medical Center, and colleagues there and at the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, say the mixed findings of this study regarding the association between HCV and pancreatic cancer “merit additional investigation.”

“From a clinical perspective,” they conclude, “early intervention strategies, including screening HCV-positive individuals earlier or more rigorously, may improve the outcomes for both hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.”

SOURCE: Hepatology, January 2009.

RELATED STORIES:
Liver cancer in cirrhotic patients effectively treated with radiofrequency ablation   Liver cancer patients less likely to die on wait list than candidates without carcinomas   Study shows skin rash in patients treated for liver cancer determines survival   Experts find rogue stem cells in liver cancer   Metformin May Protect Against Liver Cancer   Statins may cut liver cancer risk for diabetics   A promising molecular target for liver cancer therapy   How to differentiate benign from malignant bile duct strictures?   Liver cancer is likely caused by cycles of liver cell death and renewal   Research in fish provides new clues about deadly form of liver cancer   Proton beams control liver tumors   Researchers Find That Targeted Therapy Combination Overcomes Treatment Resistance in Liver Cancer   New study confirms link between nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and liver cancer   Personalized treatment may help some liver cancer patients   Liver cancer incidence lower in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease than hepatitis C   Liver transplant recipients almost 3 times more likely to develop cancer   Researchers Identify Gene Linked to Aggressive Progression of Liver Cancer   Blacks with Liver Cancer More Likely to Die   The ignored virus that causes liver cancer   Type of Anesthesia May Affect Recurrence Risk after Liver Cancer Procedure   New Technique in Treating Patients With Liver Cancer Proves Effective   A diagnostic marker in hepatocellular carcinoma

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]