Independent of hepatitis markers, a family history of liver cancer increases the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), according to study results published in the May issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Researchers also discovered a 70-fold increase in risk of HCC for those patients with family history of liver cancer and markers for hepatitis B (HBV) or hepatitis C (HCV).
“Our study investigated the relationship between family history and liver cancer in a Western population,” said Professor Carlo La Vecchia from the Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri” and the University of Milan in Italy.
The case-control study included 229 cases of HCC and 431 hospital controls, with HCC patients ranging in age from 43 to 84 years and providing survey information and blood samples. Patients admitted to the hospital for conditions not related to tumors comprised the control group. Family history and liver cancer data analysis was also performed.
Study results show that 75% of the cases and 11% of controls presented evidence of HBV and HCV infection. Compared to subjects with no family history of liver cancer and no chronic HBV and HCV, researchers reported an odds ratio of 73 for those with both risk factors, indicating a 70-fold increased risk of developing HCC.
“Our findings confirm that individuals with a positive family history of liver cancer have 3 times higher risk of developing HCC,” notes Professor La Vecchia. “Monitoring individuals with family history, particularly those with hepatitis markers, could help to identify HCC at an earlier stage, and hence potentially reduce mortality from HCC.”
Source: Wiley-Blackwell.