title: The role of hepatitis C virus in hepatocellular carcinoma in Japan.
abstract: Increasing numbers of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been reported in Japan. In this paper, we investigated the role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in HCC and the reason for the increase, using patients admitted to our university hospital from 1945 to 1992. 99 (73%) of 135 patients with HCC were positive for anti-HCV. Prospective studies demonstrated that 22 of 158 (14%) patients with chronic hepatitis C, and 31 of 70 (44%) cirrhotic patients with anti-HCV developed to HCC during the follow-up period (10.1 +/- 3.3 and 7.3 +/- 3.5 years, respectively). Prolonged survival of cirrhotic patients during past decades would also contribute to the increasing number of HCC cases as well as the number of HCV infections in Japan.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kanazawa University, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Unoura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Terasaki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ogino
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Matsushita
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies