Clinical features of patients with HCC who are negative for both HBV and HCV markers

The aim of this study is to clarify the clinical features of hepatocellular carcinoma that are negative for both hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-hepatitis C antibody.

Patients were classified according to viral markers: 45 patients (82%) had hepatitis B (B-HCC), 467 patients (82%) had hepatitis C (C-HCC), and 53 patients (9%) had neither hepatitis B nor hepatitis C (NBNC-HCC). Differences in clinical parameters among these three groups were analyzed.

Patients with NBNC-HCC were older than B-HCC and C-HCC patients. The incidence of alcoholism in NBNC-HCC patients was higher than in C-HCC patients. Patients with NBNC-HCC had similar rates of positive antibody to hepatitis B core antigen as did patients with C-HCC. NBNC-HCC patients were further classified according to median age. The younger group showed a greater tendency towards alcoholism than did the aged group. Liver functioning in the younger group was worse than in the older group. The older group had larger tumors than the younger group.

The livers of younger NBNC-HCC patients were more cirrhotic, possibly because of alcoholism. Older NBNC-HCC patients presented with larger tumors, possibly because they did not receive regular medical check-ups due to their relatively preserved liver function.