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Transfusion-transmissible virus and hepatocellular carcinoma: a case-control study
1MRC/CANSA/University Molecular Hepatology Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Journal of Viral Hepatitis
|June 10, 2000
Summary
Transfusion-transmissible virus (TTV) infection does not increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in Black Africans. Co-infection with TTV also does not elevate cancer risk in patients with hepatitis B or C viruses.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Oncology
Background:
- Transfusion-transmissible virus (TTV) is frequently detected in patients with liver diseases.
- The role of TTV in liver disease, including its potential to cause liver cancer (hepatocarcinogenicity), remains unproven.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between TTV infection and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in southern African Blacks.
- To examine potential interactions between TTV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) in HCC development.
- To determine the prevalence of TTV in South African blood donors.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study compared TTV prevalence in 148 HCC patients and 148 matched controls.
- Polymerase chain reaction, Southern hybridization, and nucleotide sequencing were used to detect TTV DNA.
- TTV prevalence was also assessed in 988 blood donors from Gauteng, South Africa.
Main Results:
- TTV infection was not associated with an increased risk of developing HCC (Relative Risk = 1.1).
- TTV co-infection did not enhance the risk of HCC in individuals with chronic HBV and/or HCV.
- TTV was detected in 2.2% of blood donors, with higher prevalence in Black (4.0%) versus White (1.5%) donors.
Conclusions:
- TTV is not implicated in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in the studied Black African population.
- The findings suggest TTV does not play a significant role in HCC pathogenesis, even with co-infection by HBV or HCV.