Cancer Letters
Volume 286, Issue 1 , Pages 5-8, 1 December 2009

Epidemiology and prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma

  • Silvia Franceschi

      Affiliations

    • International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +33 4 72 73 84 02; fax: +33 4 72 73 83 45.
    • ,
  • Syed Ahsan Raza

      Affiliations

    • International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France
    • Department of Surgery, The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi 74800, Pakistan

Received 4 March 2008; received in revised form 27 May 2008; accepted 29 October 2008. published online 15 December 2008.

Abstract 

A meta-analysis on the seroprevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies against hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in 27881 hepatocellular carcinomas from 90 studies confirmed wide international variations. A predominance of HBsAg was found in hepatocellular carcinomas from most Asian, African and Latin American countries, but anti-HCV predominated in Europe, North America, Japan, Pakistan, Mongolia, and Egypt. Anti-HCV was found more often than HBsAg in Europe and the United States. Twenty-five years after having been licensed, HBV vaccination programmes are now carried out in 158 countries, but they have yet to reach many high-risk populations in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In the absence of a vaccine, the prevention of HCV infection requires an integrated strategy (i.e., screening of blood donations, safe injection practices, and avoidance of unnecessary injections).

Keywords: Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Meta-analysis, Vaccine

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PII: S0304-3835(08)00867-7

doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2008.10.046

Cancer Letters
Volume 286, Issue 1 , Pages 5-8, 1 December 2009

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