Incidence of Hepatocellular carcinoma in Hepatitis B patients

HBV is the single most common cause of HCC worldwide. HBV-related HCC is most common in developing countries, particularly in the Far East and sub-Saharan Africa. Although the pathogenesis of HBV-related HCC remains uncertain, there is strong evidence of HBV itself being a direct cause of HCC. Population-based vaccination programs against HBV have been associated with reductions in the incidence of HCC, and it is thought that widespread programs of universal infant vaccination will have the potential to dramatically reduce the incidence of HCC in the future. Although the impact of antiviral therapy is also uncertain, there is good evidence that prolonged suppression of HBV replication with nucleoside or nucleotide analogs may reduce the risk of HBV in patients with chronic hepatitis B.The most important challenges remaining in the area of hepatitis B and HCC are the development of improved means of early detection and treatment. Currently, HBV-related HCC is often detected late at a time when surgical interventions and liver transplantation are no longer feasible. Inexpensive, easily applied, and noninvasive biomarkers for HCC in high-risk patients would be helpful in identifying patients at a stage at which the tumor can be resected or more successfully treated. Better imaging methods that reliably separate small HCCs from regenerative nodules (which are common in patients with cirrhosis) would complement screening using biomarkers. Therapies for HCC are also critically needed. Standard cancer chemotherapy is largely ineffective against HCC, and newer, noncytolytic approaches are now becoming practical and have great promise.HBV is considered a public health problem in Egypt. It is a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study we aimed at evaluating relationship between HBV infection and HCC. one patient was proved hepatocellular carcinoma by ultrasound guided liver biopsy. Most of cases were >40ys with chronicity more than 10 ys. More than 9 percent of patients were infected without any known risk factor. The follow up method reflect the effect of the virus and viral load on liver functions, blood count and even the clinical picture.Finally, better approaches to universal HBV vaccination and identification and treatment of chronic hepatitis B are needed to allow for the application of the many advances that have been made in the understanding, prevention, and treatment of this important form of cancer.