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Pan-serological antibodies and liver cancer risk: a nested case-control analysis

  • 0Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Scientific Reports +

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February 14, 2025

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February 14, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Pan-viral serology signatures did not prospectively predict liver cancer risk in this study. Only antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) showed a significant association, particularly for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Area Of Science

  • Hepatology and Viral Oncology
  • Cancer Epidemiology
  • Immunology

Background

  • Previous studies suggested pan-viral serology signatures may predict liver cancer.
  • Prospective validation of these findings was lacking.
  • Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of liver cancer.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To investigate if pan-viral serology signatures are predictive of liver cancer development in a prospective cohort.
  • To assess the association between antibodies to various infectious agents and liver cancer risk.
  • To evaluate the predictive performance of antibody signatures for liver cancer.

Main Methods

  • A nested case-control analysis was conducted using the PLCO prospective cohort.
  • Serum samples from 191 liver cancer cases and 382 controls were analyzed using VirScan to detect antibodies.
  • Multivariable conditional logistic regressions and prediction models were employed to assess associations and predictive utility.

Main Results

  • No significant associations were found between antibodies to viruses, bacteria, or allergens and overall liver cancer risk after multiple testing adjustments.
  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies showed the strongest association with liver cancer risk (OR: 3.98), but with a high False Discovery Rate (FDR) of 0.35.
  • Prediction models using 109 antibody features showed limited predictive ability (AUC: 0.52-0.54).
  • In analyses restricted to hepatocellular carcinoma, the association with HCV was stronger (OR: 23.16, FDR p-value: 0.0016), but overall prediction remained modest (AUC: 0.55).

Conclusions

  • Pan-viral serology signatures, as measured by VirScan, were not found to be prospectively predictive of liver cancer risk in this cohort.
  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies were prospectively associated with liver cancer, especially hepatocellular carcinoma, though statistical significance was limited by FDR and sample size.
  • Further research is needed to explore the utility of antibody exposure signatures for predicting liver cancer development.

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