The influence of alcohol consumption and hepatitis B and C infections on the risk of liver cancer in

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J Hepatol. 2008 May 27. [Epub ahead of print]

The influence of alcohol consumption and hepatitis B and C infections on the

risk of liver cancer in Europe.

Ribes J, Clèries R, Esteban L, Moreno V, Bosch FX.

Catalan Cancer Plan, IDIBELL, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Avda. Gran Via s/n,

Km. 2,7, 08907 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To assess the variability of liver cancer (LC) risk associated

with hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses and alcohol intake in 2002

throughout Europe. METHODS: Incidence data were obtained from population-based

cancer registries whereas mortality, HBV, HCV and alcohol exposures were

obtained from the WHO databases. Relative risk of LC and their posterior

probabilities to be>1 were obtained and plotted in maps through a Bayesian

random effects model. RESULTS: HBV prevalence>2% increased the risk of

developing LC a 15% in men and 21% in women; HCV prevalence>2%, 54% in men and

33% in women and, pure alcohol intake>11l, 26% and 14%, respectively (all of

them statistically significant). These risk factors played a similar role on the

risk of dying from LC among men, whereas HBV and alcohol were not statistically

significant among women. Significant high LC risk, after HBV/HCV and alcohol

adjustment were observed for both sexes in: Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Croatia,

Greece, Italy, Spain, France and Austria. CONCLUSIONS: South-North and East-West

decreasing gradients for LC risk were observed in Europe. HBV, alcohol and,

mainly, HCV are independent risk factors that could explain this geographical

pattern.

PMID: 18571275 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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