Correlates of liver cancer mortality in China

To provide clues to the causes of liver cancer in China, we studied the correlation of certain dietary and biochemical markers with liver cancer mortality across 65 Chinese counties. Mortality rates were significantly linked to the county-wide prevalence of hepatitis-B surface antigen positivity. Rates were also higher in counties with high plasma levels of total cholesterol and high consumption of liquor, rapeseed oil, and mouldy corn, while inverse associations were observed for wheat consumption. All of the observed associations, except those with cholesterol and rapeseed oil, were more pronounced in men than in women. No significant correlations with liver cancer mortality were found for consumption of several other foods; plasma levels of retinol, beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, selenium, zinc and ferritin; or urine levels of aflatoxin B1. Although causal inferences cannot be derived, this ecological study suggests that chronic infection with hepatitis-B virus contributes to the substantial variation in liver cancer mortality in China, and provides leads for further studies into the role of dietary and nutritional determinants.