HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA AND CHRONIC PERSISTENT HEPATITIS

The morphologic type of cirrhosis that is followed most frequently by hepatocellular carcinoma is posthepatitic cirrhosis. Furthermore, HB Ag is detected in a high rate among cases with hepatocellular carcinoma suggesting the intimate causal relationship between hepatitis B virus and hepatocellular carcinoma. It has been considered that hepatocellular carcinoma might develop during destruction and regeneration of fully developed liver cirrhosis. However, hepatocellular carcinoma is combined with not only liver cirrhosis but also with mild liver fibrosis. An attempt was made to determine HBs Ag in the liver tissue of liver fibrosis with hepatocellular carcinoma. HBs Ag was found in non-cancerous liver tissue of 40% of those cases. Therefore, it may be concluded that, at least some of those fibrosis is caused by chronic viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma may develop not only on posthepatitic cirrhosis but also on chronic persistent hepatitis. This evidence also suggests the carcinogenicity of hepatitis B virus.