Prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic viral hepatitis B and C infection

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with the majority of cases associated with persistent infection from hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV). Natural history studies have identified risk factors associated with HCC development among chronic HBV and HCV infection. High-risk infected individuals can now be identified by the usage of risk predictive scores. Vaccination plays a central role in the prevention of HBV-related HCC. Treatment of chronic HBV infection, especially by nucleoside analogue therapy, could also reduce the risk of HBV-related HCC. Concerning HCV infection, besides the advocation of universal precautions to reduce the rate of infection, pegylated interferon and ribavirin could also reduce the risk of HCV-related HCC among those achieving a sustained virologic response. Recently there has been mounting evidence on the role of chemopreventive agents in reducing HBV- and HCV-related HCC. The continued advances in the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of HCC would hold promise in preventing this highly lethal cancer. (C) 2013 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.