title: Prospective evaluation of infection with hepatitis G virus in relation to hepatocellular carcinoma in Shanghai, China.
abstract: The health consequences of hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection in humans remain to be determined. Inconsistent results of HGV and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been found in retrospective case-control studies. No prospective studies have addressed this issue. A prospective study including 18,244 men in Shanghai, China, was conducted to assess the role of HGV infection in HCC development. Serum HGV RNA and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were assessed in 127 HCC case patients and 660 matched control subjects drawn from the cohort. Four patients with HCC (3.1%) and 21 control subjects (3.2%) were positive for serum HGV RNA. The presence of HGV RNA in prediagnostic serum was not associated with the risk of HCC (odds ratio, 1.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.3-2.9). No association between HGV RNA positivity and HCC risk was observed in either HBsAg-positive carriers or noncarriers. It is concluded that HGV infection plays no role in HCC development in this high-risk population.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033-0800, USA. jyuan@hsc.usc.edu
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Govindarajan
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology*; D018067:Flaviviridae; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D012367:RNA, Viral