Sunday, April 23, 2017

Elevated Liver Cancer Risk for Older Hep B-Cleared Patients

Medscape Coverage from the
International Liver Congress (ILC) 2017

Elevated Liver Cancer Risk for Older Hep B-Cleared Patients
Damian McNamara
April 21, 2017
AMSTERDAM — Older people who are functionally cured of hepatitis B are at a significantly higher risk for hepatocellular carcinoma, a new study warns.

Even after the seroclearance of hepatitis B surface antigen, "there is still risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma," particularly when clearance occurs after the age of 50, said Henry Chan, MD, director of the Institute of Digestive Disease at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Previous studies have demonstrated that patients in this age group who spontaneously experience seroclearance are at increased risk for hepatocellular carcinoma, he explained here at the International Liver Congress 2017. However, small cohort sizes and low event rates have limited clinical interpretation of the findings.

Confirmation of this risk could lead to closer cancer surveillance for this subgroup of patients, Dr Chan told Medscape Medical News.
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