Sunday, March 12, 2017

Can Antiviral Therapy Prevent Liver Cancer in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis?

Can Antiviral Therapy Prevent Liver Cancer in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis?
By Meg Barbor, MPH
March 10, 2017

Chronic viral hepatitis is a major causative factor for hepatocellular carcinoma, but antiviral therapy might reduce the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma by preventing or eliminating chronic hepatitis infections, according to Adrian M. Di Bisceglie, MD, Professor of Internal Medicine at Saint Louis University Liver Center in St. Louis, Missouri.1

Worldwide, chronic viral hepatitis accounts for nearly 75% of all cases of hepatocellular carcinoma. About 55% of cases are associated with hepatitis B infection, 30% are associated with hepatitis C infection, and 14% are related to metabolic liver disease. Despite popular belief, alcohol use is not a major contributor to hepatocellular carcinoma, accounting for only about 0.8% of cases, he noted.

“Hepatocellular carcinoma is interesting to me because in almost every case, you can point to the direct etiology,” said Dr. Di Bisceglie at the 2017 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) International Conference on New Frontiers in Cancer Research, held recently in Cape Town, South Africa
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