title: [Hepatitis B vaccination: a major player in the control of primary liver cancer].
abstract: In worst cases, chronic hepatitis B ultimately leads to primary liver cancer. Populations the more at risk to develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), i.e. patients infected perinatally, reside essentially in Asia. A quarter of century after its introduction in medical practice, data coming from Eastern Asia demonstrate a strong impact of the vaccine on HCC incidence. Strikingly, universal immunization of Taiwanese newborns reduced fourfold pediatric HCC incidence. However, residual cases still appear though among children infected at birth by HBe antigen-carrying mothers. Epidemiologic models indicate that the continuation of universal vaccination policy will reduce chronic hepatitis B endemicity 50-fold in three generations. Recently, mutant forms of HBV potentially escaping to vaccine appeared as a potential consequence of large-scale vaccination. Finally, lack of early immunization of newborns in developing countries still represents a major limitation to the progresses against liver cancer.
authors.affiliation: Inserm U579 Organisation nucléaire et oncogenèse, Institut Pasteur, 28, rue du Docteur-Roux, 75724 Paris cedex 15, France. pascal.pineau@pasteur.fr
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pineau
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tiollais
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D002353:Carrier State; D002648:Child; D003906:Developing Countries; D018450:Disease Progression; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000821:virology; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines