Risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma in Egypt: The role of hepatitis-B viral infection and schistosomiasis

Hepatitis-B viral (HBV) infection and schistosomiasis are among the most co mmon causes of liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma; HCC) in Egypt. The p resent study. investigates the effects of both infectious diseases and othe r demographical and environmental factors on the risk of HCC among a repres entative group of Egyptian patients with HCC (n = 102) and controls with no signs of hepatopathology (n = 96). Factors associated with an increased ri sk of HCC in Egypt were age over 60 yrs-old, farming, cigarette smoking and occupational exposure to chemicals such as pesticides. However. schistosom iasis (relative risk, RR: 5.22; 95% confidence intervals, C.I.: 2.93-9.31) and HBV infection (RR: 12.51; 95% C.I.: 6.11-25.59) were the major risk fac tors in the development of HCC. Schistosomiasis increased the severity of H BV infection and elevated the risk of HCC over that associated with the HBV infection alone. Understanding these relationships may enable us to determ ine the susceptibility to HCC among high risk gi groups and to provide thes e individuals with effective measures for early prevention or intervention.