Next big threat for Pakistan Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)

In our country, world hepatitis day (28th May 2013) was observed as a liver cancer day to draw global attention on the global health menace caused by Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This is the right time to write a review article to apprise the nation of this growing burden of HCC caused most commonly by viruses in our country. Pakistan is also recognized as one of the countries of the world where hepatitis C virus (HCV) is endemic. Recent large national surveys suggest an overall HCV prevalence of 4.8% and that of HBV as 2.5%. There are however communities where the sero-prevalence of HCV can be as high as 23%. No wonder that chronic liver disease is the fifth most common reason for morbidity and mortality in the country and Pakistan has been perhaps accurately called a "cirrhotic state". Hence majority of such patients are at risk of developing HCC.