title: Comparison of viral hepatitis-associated hepatocellular carcinoma due to HBV and HCV - cohort from liver clinics in Pakistan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the first cause of death in cirrhotic patients, mostly due to viral hepatitis with HCV or HBV infection. This study was performed to estimate the true prevalence of viral hepatitis-related HCC and the demographic and clinical-pathological associations with the two virus types.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross sectional observational study enrolled clinical data base of 188 HCC patients and variables included from baseline were age, sex, area of residence, clinical-pathological features such as underlying co-morbidity, presence or absence of liver cirrhosis, macrovascular involvement, tumor extension and metastasis, liver lobes involved, serum alpha-fetoprotein level, and hepatitis serologies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall prevalence of HCV- and HBV-related HCC was 66.0% and 34.0%, respectively. Patients with HCV were more likely to develop HCC at advanced age (52.4±11.9 vs. 40.7±12.09 years), with highly raised serum AFP levels (≥400ng/ml) 78.2% (HBV 67.1%), large tumor size (HCV-66% >5 cm, HBV-59.3%), and presence of portal vein thrombosis (8.06%, HBV 1.56%). A binominal multivariate analysis showed that HCV-HCC group were more likely to be cirrhotic (OR=0.245, 95%CI: 0.117, 0.516) and had more than two times higher rate of solitary macrovascular involvement (OR=2.533, 95%CI: 1.162, 5.521) as compared with HBV associated HCC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Statistically significant variations were observed from baseline to clinical-pathological characteristics in HCV vs HBV associated HCC. Our study suggests prompt and early screening for high risk patients so that the rate of progression of these chronic viral diseases to cirrhosis and cancer can be decreased.
authors.affiliation: Asian Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, Pakistan E-mail : drsadikmemon@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Alvina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Munaf
authors.forename: Muhammad Sadik
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Memon
authors.forename: Prem
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Sultan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Maheshwari Bhunesh
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis