Liver Cancer - Causes

Causes

Risk factors for adults developing primary liver cancer:

• Hepatitis C is the primary cause of liver cancer.
• Chronic Hepatitis B infection
• Cirrhosis
• Aflatoxin exposure
• Obesity has emerged as an important risk factor as it can lead to steatohepatitis

Risk factors for children developing primary liver cancer:

• Alagille syndrome (associated with HCC)
• Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (associated with hepatoblastoma)
• Familial adenomatous polyposis (associated with hepatoblastoma)
• Glycogen storage diseases (associated with both HCC and hepatoblastoma)
• Hepatitis B infection, associated when contracted in the perinatal period (with transmission at birth) (associated with HCC)
• Low birth weight (associated with hepatoblastoma)
• Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (associated with HCC)
• Trisomy 18, as well as other trisomies (associated with hepatoblastoma)
• Tyrosinemia (associated with HCC)