HBsAg, aflatoxins and primary hepatocellular carcinoma.
Nigeria is a very high risk area for primary hepatocellular carcinoma and this is the first study to utilize measurements of both hepatitis B virus status and aflatoxin levels in the same patients to determine the role of these factors in the causation of liver cancer in this environment. We have shown that there is a higher prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (P < 0.005) and higher 'pathologic' serum levels of aflatoxins (P < 0.05) in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma than in matched controls. It is considered that the results of this study may strengthen the hypothesis that hepatitis B virus may be an important aetiological factor in the development of primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Further work is in progress to correlate the level of aflatoxin serum albumin adducts with liver damage in order to assess the value of the albumin adduct as a marker of risk of liver cancer development.
Department of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
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Olubuyide
S M
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Maxwell
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Hood
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Neal
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Hendrickse
D000328:Adult; D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis
D000348:Aflatoxins; D015415:Biomarkers; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D012709:Serum Albumin