Public health measures that reduce exposure to risk factors can help prevent most liver cancer.
March 22, 2005 (Press Release) --
Can Liver Cancer Be Prevented?
Public health measures that reduce exposure to risk factors can help prevent most liver cancer. Worldwide, the most significant risk factor is infection with hepatitis B or C virus. There is a vaccine to prevent hepatitis B. All children (as well as adults at high risk) should have this vaccination.
There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. Therefore, preventing hepatitis C (and hepatitis B in people who have not had the vaccine) is based on knowing the ways these viruses spread. They spread through blood transfusions, by contaminated needles of intravenous drug abusers, and by having unprotected sex. Also, mothers who have the hepatitis virus can pass it on to their children at birth or in early infancy. Blood banks in the United States check donated blood and discard any that is infected.
Studies suggest that the drugs interferon and ribavarin may prevent the development of liver cancer in people who have hepatitis C. They can be given together. How well they work is still being studied.
It is not yet clear if interferon is helpful in people with hepatitis B. But there other, new drugs that are used for hepatitis B. Whether these drugs help prevent liver cancer is still under study. If you have hepatitis B or C you should talk to your doctor about these drugs.
In the US, alcohol abuse is a major cause of the cirrhosis that can lead to liver cancer. But preventing liver cancer caused by alcohol abuse remains a challenge. Quitting smoking may also slightly lower the risk of liver cancer, as well as the risk for many other serious diseases.
Changing the way certain grains are stored in warm countries could reduce exposure to cancer-causing substances. Many modern countries have rules to keep grains safe. They also have laws to protect people from cancer-causing chemicals. These have just about eliminated certain chemicals as a cause of liver cancer.
Public health measures that reduce exposure to risk factors can help prevent most liver cancer. Worldwide, the most significant risk factor is infection with hepatitis B or C virus. There is a vaccine to prevent hepatitis B. All children (as well as adults at high risk) should have this vaccination.
There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. Therefore, preventing hepatitis C (and hepatitis B in people who have not had the vaccine) is based on knowing the ways these viruses spread. They spread through blood transfusions, by contaminated needles of intravenous drug abusers, and by having unprotected sex. Also, mothers who have the hepatitis virus can pass it on to their children at birth or in early infancy. Blood banks in the United States check donated blood and discard any that is infected.
Studies suggest that the drugs interferon and ribavarin may prevent the development of liver cancer in people who have hepatitis C. They can be given together. How well they work is still being studied.
It is not yet clear if interferon is helpful in people with hepatitis B. But there other, new drugs that are used for hepatitis B. Whether these drugs help prevent liver cancer is still under study. If you have hepatitis B or C you should talk to your doctor about these drugs.
In the US, alcohol abuse is a major cause of the cirrhosis that can lead to liver cancer. But preventing liver cancer caused by alcohol abuse remains a challenge. Quitting smoking may also slightly lower the risk of liver cancer, as well as the risk for many other serious diseases.
Changing the way certain grains are stored in warm countries could reduce exposure to cancer-causing substances. Many modern countries have rules to keep grains safe. They also have laws to protect people from cancer-causing chemicals. These have just about eliminated certain chemicals as a cause of liver cancer.
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