The Link Between Hepatitis and Liver Cancer: What You Need to Know

Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world. This is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The cause of cancer in the liver is substantially linked to hepatitis. Hepatitis B and C are major causes of liver diseases and liver cancer in the world. Studies suggest that, in the upcoming 10 years, approximately 150,000 people in the US will lose their lives to liver cancer. Liver cancer is majorly associated with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Liver cancer survival rate majorly depends upon the individual medical conditions. To be precise, on the stage at which you diagnose liver cancer and further treatments.

Whether you are someone who got diagnosed with Hepatitis A, B, or C, then you have a high chance of getting liver cancer if you haven’t taken care of the liver properly! Don’t panic; we've got your back. Read further on, and we’ll tell you what you need to know about healing your liver if you just got diagnosed with hepatitis or cancer in the liver. Hepatitis A is usually a short-term infection, while hepatitis B and C can cause more long-term, chronic infection of liver cancers in your body!

In this article, we will dive deep into how liver cancer and hepatitis are connected, how hepatitis infection leads to cancer, and how chemotherapy for liver cancer and other treatments will help cure this life-threatening disease!

---

What is hepatitis?

Hepatitis is a viral inflammation of the liver caused by different viruses and some non-infectious agents. According to WHO, there are five hepatitis viruses causing this disease, which can cause hepatitis infection in humans, and they are:

• Hepatitis A (HAV)
• Hepatitis B (HBV)
• Hepatitis C (HCV)
• Hepatitis D (HDV)
• Hepatitis E (HEV)

In the above hepatitis virus, HBV and HCV infection can become more chronic and cause liver cirrhosis and cancers in people.

---

How does Hepatitis C lead to liver cancer?

The association between hepatitis C and liver cancer is the major cause of deaths in people with chronic hepatitis C infection. Currently, hepatitis C virus infection has become responsible for approximately one million deaths in a year globally.

The strong epidemiological evidence suggests that a consistent infection of hepatitis C is considered the major risk factor for the development of cancer in the liver, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

How Hepatitis virus infection happens in humans:

• Transmission of infected blood or products
• Use of illicit drugs
• Medical transplantation of HCV-contaminated organs
• Hemodialysis
• HCV infection from household exposure
• Unsafe sex
• Intranasal cocaine use

---

What is Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)?

Hepatocellular carcinomas are responsible for 85% to 90% of all primary cases of liver cancers in patients in the world. HCCs are fast-growing and the most aggressive types of cancers discovered in most patients with advanced liver disease like liver cirrhosis. Currently, most patients diagnosed with HCC have a liver condition that might lead to a type of cirrhosis known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

In the beginning stages, hepatocellular carcinoma grows slowly; once the surgery removes the tumor, a liver transplant can treat HCC successfully in the early stages. Many patients fail to recognize its symptoms, and it will lead to its advanced stages and will spread quickly. Eventually, this can lead to liver failure in people; at this point, it gets more challenging to treat HCC.

---

Symptoms of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Liver tumors might not show any symptoms in the early stage. Once the HCC spreads and progresses, you can notice symptoms such as:

• Fullness or appearing a knot under your ribs on the right side (symptoms of enlarged liver)
• Fullness under your ribs on your left side (symptoms of enlarged spleen)
• Jaundice
• Swollen stomach or starts to feel fluid-filled
• Loss of appetite
• Sudden weight loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• Skin Itching

There are many health conditions that can cause the above-mentioned symptoms. It's important to understand that most symptoms can’t cause hepatocellular carcinoma.

If you experience any one of the symptoms, try not to panic. But if any of the symptoms last more than two weeks, it's necessary to consult an expert medical practitioner.

---

How do Hepatitis B and C increase the risk of causing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)?

Most patients (80%) diagnosed with HCC have discovered that they are associated with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and (HCV) infections. However, some of them also have liver cirrhosis (80%).

• Hepatitis B infection: Hepatitis B infection will result in HCC even without liver cirrhosis or before the cirrhosis occurs in patients.
• Hepatitis C infection: The hepatitis C infection, especially chronic infection, causes inflammation and further leads to liver scarring, also known as cirrhosis, and will potentially damage the liver cells, which can lead to cancer.

Other risk factors of HCCs are:

• Excessive Alcohol Use: Alcohol is highly difficult for your liver to process; excessive drinking or alcohol addiction will lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: It’s a condition that causes excess levels of fats to build up in the liver. If you have obesity, Type 2 diabetes, or inherited metabolic syndrome, then you are more likely to get MASLD.

---

Difference between acute hepatitis and chronic hepatitis

Hepatitis B viral infection is caused by the HBV virus, and the infection will be short-term in most people, and because of that, it's known as acute hepatitis B infection. Acute hepatitis infection only lasts less than six months in most cases. When the infection stays for more than six months, it's called chronic hepatitis B infection.

Unfortunately, chronic hepatitis infection will increase the risk of liver failure, liver tumor, and liver cirrhosis. Infants and children are more prone to developing chronic hepatitis B infection. However, chronic hepatitis might recover fully in patients, even when the symptoms are bad.

Symptoms and Prevention of Hepatitis B

The major symptoms of acute hepatitis B range from mild to serious in patients. In most cases the symptoms will start one or four months after the HBV viral infection. Patients with acute or chronic hepatitis B infection may not show any certain symptoms, mainly in children.

Hepatitis B symptoms may include:

• Abdominal pain
• Dark urine
• Fever
• Joint pains
• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting and stomach upset
• Extreme weakness or fatigue
• Jaundice (yellowing the white part of the eye and skin)

The prevention and control of Hepatitis B and C infection eventually controls the cancer in the liver. People at the most risk for hepatitis B and C are newborns, children, and adults. Hepatitis B is a preventable disease, as it can be prevented with the hepatitis B vaccine. Meanwhile, there is no vaccine for Hepatitis C prevention. Hepatitis C infection mainly spreads through blood.

Here’s how you can prevent Hepatitis C infection:

• Avoid sharing items infected with the HCV virus or blood.
• Practice hygiene practices or procedures in the health care
• Follow safe sex using protection control.
• Only use standard tattoo equipment and body piercings.
• Standard blood transfusion or organ transplantation

---

How is Hepatocellular carcinoma treated?

Hepatocellular carcinoma can be treated and managed with different types of treatment methods.

Treatments including:

• Surgery: The surgical procedures for HCC are known as hepatectomy, which is removing the affected part of the liver, or liver transplant. Hepatectomy is performed when the tumor is only limited to one part of your liver; if your liver is not healthy enough, then a liver transplant would be the right option for you.
• Ablation Therapy: It's a medical procedure where the surgical oncologist would use a specific needle to burn your tumor-affected areas. The needle might direct the energy that will be excessively hot, usually containing microwaves or radiofrequency waves, or sometimes it would be freezing cold.
• Embolization: Embolization implants a specific substance directly into the arteries supplying the tumor, which further stops the blood flow. Meanwhile, chemoembolization implants a substance that contains chemotherapy drugs. Radioembolization implants small beads of radiation.
• Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy often performs on the small tumors that they can’t remove with surgery or destroy using ablation technique. Stereotypic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) is a specific type of radiation treatment that is often given to HCC patients.
• Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy medicines are also used to treat advanced HCC. This treatment improves the patient’s overall immune system to identify and fight against the cancer cells.
• Targeted therapy: Targeted therapy medicines are also widely used to treat advanced HCC in patients.

---

Lifestyle guidelines

Changing lifestyle will prevent and reduce the risk of hepatitis and liver tumor. There are some effective ways to prevent the chance of developing HCC.

• Get your Hepatitis B vaccination.
• Practice regular checkups whether you have already been diagnosed with hepatitis.
• If you have been exposed to Hepatitis C infection, consult with an expert (as hepatitis C is a curable infection).
• If you have been diagnosed with MASLD, consider managing metabolic association with the guidance of a medical expert.
• Maintain a healthy weight and make sure to follow a healthy diet.
• Eliminate alcohol consumption and smoking.

---

Conclusion

The ideal way to deal with hepatitis and liver cancer totally depends upon the individual medical conditions. Performing surgery to remove the tumor part or liver transplantation are considered the best options to cure cancer in the liver, along with treatments such as chemotherapy for liver cancer, radiotherapy, and immunotherapies, which are mostly recommended.

Today, with the advancement of health care and facilities, the liver cancer survival rate has increased, all thanks to the Oncare Cancer Centre for affordable treatments with specialist consultation. As we all know, every case of liver cancer is different, but there are many factors that increase the chance of life expectancy. However, Oncare’s experienced cancer doctors will help and support your cancer journey and provide nutritional diet guidance to protect the patient's liver’s health. The advanced treatments, surgery aftercare, and Oncare's cancer support units are creating miracles in a patient's cancer healing journey.

Whether you are wondering about which cancer hospitals to visit or frustrated to find the right cancer doctor for checking the symptoms of hepatitis and cancer! Then don’t forget to call us!

We care for your cancer-related concerns and queries at Oncare, where we care, heal, and support our cancer patients with high-quality cancer care treatments at affordable prices.

Book a consultation with our expert oncologist. Visit Oncare Cancer Center’s official website now! The best cancer hospital in Delhi is Oncare Cancer Center.

Get a cost estimate of your cancer treatment with expert consultation!

---

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)