title: Alcohol abuse as an etiologic factor for hepatocellular carcinoma in Japan.
abstract: The etiologic role of alcoholic liver disease for hepatocellular carcinoma is uncertain. To assess the role of alcoholic liver disease on the development of carcinoma, we examined history of alcohol abuse and viral markers in the sera and/or resected specimens in 454 patients who underwent liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma. Sera from 20 of the 454 patients were negative for hepatitis B, C, and D viruses. Of the 20 patients, one patient had autoimmune hepatitis, one had primary biliary cirrhosis, two had non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Of the remaining 16 patients, 8 patients were alcohol abusers and 5 of the 8 patients were heavy alcohol abusers. Hepatitis G virus was not detected in sera form the 16 patients. Although hepatitis B x gene was detected in the cancerous and/or non-cancerous tissues in all three alcohol abusers but not heavy abusers and in 5 of 6 non-alcohol abusers whose surgical specimens were available, the gene was detected in only one of the five heavy alcohol abusers. The five heavy alcohol abusers had advanced hepatic fibrosis and active hepatitis. Alcoholic liver disease with advanced hepatic fibrosis and active hepatitis is a possible cause for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Gastroenterological and Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 545-8585, Japan.
authors.forename: Shoji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: Kazuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oba
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirohashi
authors.forename: Hiromu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Taichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shuto
authors.forename: Shigekazu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takemura
authors.forename: Takatsugu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamori
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishiguchi