Hepatitis Viruses and Risk of Cholangiocarcinoma in Northeast Thailand

Abstract

Liver cancer is the most common cancer in males in Thailand and the third in females. A high incidence of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is estimated in the northeast of Thailand. Chronic infection with Opisthorchis viverrini (OV) is the major risk factor for development of CCA. It has been demonstrated that HCV infection is a risk factor for CCA in non - endemic area of OV infection. We examined the association of HBV and HCV and risk of CCA in the northeast Thailand. All cases of CCA were recruited between 1999 and 2001 from Nakhon Phanom provincial hospital and all community hospitals in the province. One control per case was selected, matched by sex, age (±5 years) and residence. 106 case-control pairs were obtained. Anti-OV, HBsAg, and Anti HCV were determined by ELISA. Among 103 age-sex-place of residence matched case-control pairs, there were 7, 0, 0, 96 pairs for anti-HCV (+) case vs. (-) control, (+) case vs. (+) control, (-) case vs. (+) control and (-) case vs. (-) control combinations (OR=7/0). Among 106 matched pairs, there were 9, 2, 4, 91 pairs for the similar four combinations of HBsAg (OR=2.25 (95%CI: 0.63-10.00)). If the subject had anti-HCV and/or HBsAg, the OR for CCA was 4.00 (95%CI: 1.29-16.44). Even after adjustment for anti-OV, risk for HBsAg and/or anti-HCV positive was still marginally increased with an OR of 4.69 although not reaching statistical significance (95%CI: 0.98-22.47). Hepatitis B and C virus infection may also play role in the development of CCA in northeast Thailand.