Prediction of the Risk of Liver Cancer Development in Hepatitis C Patients

Abstract

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Egypt has the highest worldwide incidence and prevalence of HCV. Patients with chronic HCV infection progress to one of two cases: i) Liver cirrhosis and end stage liver disease, or (ii) HepatoCellular Carcinoma (HCC) identified as Liver Cancer. HCC forms in Egypt 11.75% of the malignancies of all digestive organs, and 1.68% of the total malignancies. HCC occurs majorly in patients with chronic Hepatitis C and Cirrhosis, with an annual incidence of 3–5%, in addition to other diseases such as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) that is recently identified as one of the main risks of HCC, which in that case named Non-Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis (NASH) . Early diagnosis of HCC is critical for management and better survival of patients. The only available solutions are the regular screening of patients at high risk of developing HCC through imaging and use of serologic biomarkers (e.g. alpha-fetoprotein) ,which has low sensitivity 53%. Other solution is through liver biopsy, which is not recommended in diagnosis due to the potential spread of malignant cells in the body. In addition to the unreliability of existing solutions, there are host genetic variations that lead to susceptibility of cancer development and recently reported associated with the risk and progression of HCC.