Hepatic steatosis is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
BACKGROUND
Hepatic steatosis is one of the histopathologic features of chronic hepatitis C. It was reported recently that the expression of hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein in transgenic mice induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in association with steatosis. The objective of this study was to determine the relation between hepatic steatosis and hepatocarcinogenesis in patients with chronic HCV infection.


METHODS
The authors studied 161 patients with chronic HCV infection who were diagnosed at Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan, between January 1980 and December 1999. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI), habitual drinking, diabetes mellitus, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level, HCV serotype, serum level of HCV core protein, interferon (IFN) treatment, hepatic fibrosis inflammation, and hepatic steatosis were studied with regard to their significance in the development of HCC using univariate and multivariate analyses.


RESULTS
The cumulative incidence rates of HCC were 24%, 51%, and 63% at 5 years, 10 years, and 15 years, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified hepatic steatosis, together with aging, cirrhosis, and no IFN treatment, as independent and significant risk factors for HCC (P = 0.0135, P = 0.0390, P = 0.0068, and P = 0.0142, respectively). In addition, hepatic steatosis was correlated with BMI, serum ALT levels, and triglyceride levels.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings of the current study indicate that hepatic steatosis is a risk factor for HCC in patients with chronic HCV infection. Patients with chronic HCV and hepatic steatosis should be monitored carefully for HCC.
Ohata
Kazuyuki
K
The First Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Nagasaki, Japan.
Hamasaki
Keisuke
K
Toriyama
Kan
K
Matsumoto
Kojiro
K
Saeki
Akira
A
Yanagi
Kenji
K
Abiru
Seigou
S
Nakagawa
Yuichi
Y
Shigeno
Masaya
M
Miyazoe
Seiji
S
Ichikawa
Tatsuki
T
Ishikawa
Hiroki
H
Nakao
Kazuhiko
K
Eguchi
Katsumi
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors