Hep B Blog

Category Archives: Liver Cancer

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Hepatitis B Prevention, Hepatitis B Treatment, Liver Cancer, Living with Hepatitis B

The Veterans Administration Ignores an Enemy on the Homefront: Hepatitis B

Courtesy of the U.S. Defense Health Agency.
Courtesy of the U.S. Defense Health Agency.

With Veterans Day comes reports about the lack of adequate mental health care for men and women returning from war. There is another, invisible health issue threatening veterans of all ages–hepatitis B.

Few veterans have ever been screened or treated for hepatitis B though their infection rate is four-times the national average.

The percentage of veterans infected with hepatitis B may actually be higher, but no one knows. Only 15 percent of U.S. veterans have ever been screened for hepatitis B. Among the few screened and diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B, only 25 percent have received antiviral treatment and only 13 percent have been screened for liver cancer. Continue reading "The Veterans Administration Ignores an Enemy on the Homefront: Hepatitis B" →

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Liver Cancer, Living with Hepatitis B

Want to Avoid Liver Cancer? There Are Things You Can Control

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Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We who live with hepatitis B know that avoiding alcohol and cigarettes go a long way toward reducing our risk of liver cancer. But there are new threats emerging. Researchers are finding that obesity, diabetes and developing fatty liver from unhealthy food and a sedentary lifestyle can be just as dangerous to our livers.

In a recent study, published in the Journal of Hepatology, researchers found:

  • If you have chronic hepatitis and are obese with a fatty liver, your liver cancer risk increases 1.5 to 4.5 times
  • And, if you have hepatitis B and diabetes, your liver cancer risk climbs two- to three-fold.

This is a sobering realization that our lifestyle and our weight matter a lot when it comes to how long we will live. We may like to think we won’t develop liver cancer because our viral load is low or our liver tests don’t show any damage, but sitting all day and over-eating are just as dangerous. Continue reading "Want to Avoid Liver Cancer? There Are Things You Can Control" →

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Liver Cancer

Your Doctor Not Screening You for Liver Cancer? Time for a Talk

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Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The longer we have hepatitis B, the higher our risk of developing liver cancer. With every decade of life, our liver cancer risk increases 2.7-times, according to a report on Viral Hepatitis in the Elderly published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

But current medical guidelines don’t spell out exactly when liver cancer testing should begin in many hepatitis B patients who don’t have liver damage (cirrhosis) or a family history of liver cancer, and are not of Asian or African descent.

Age is clearly an important factor when it comes to liver cancer, “… but current guidelines only provide age-specific recommendations for (liver cancer) surveillance in hepatitis B carriers of Asian ethnicity (men over age 40 and women over age 50),” a team of University of Miami and Veterans Affairs researchers wrote in the journal article. Continue reading "Your Doctor Not Screening You for Liver Cancer? Time for a Talk" →

Liver Cancer

Join Us for a Twitter Chat- Liver Cancer is Preventable

Screen Shot 2015-10-07 at 5.24.25 PMOctober is Liver Cancer Awareness Month. Join the Hepatitis B Foundation and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable for a twitter chat, featuring hepatitis and liver cancer expert Dr. Robert Gish, at 2p.m. EDT Tuesday, October 20.

Dr. Gish, professor consultant at Stanford University and medical director of the Hepatitis B Foundation and others will be chatting about liver cancer, hepatitis B and C prevention and treatment, health disparities, and resources for awareness and advocacy.

Below are the topics that will be discussed during the chat. Please consider how you might wish to contribute to the conversation! Got any resources you might like to share?

Q1 What is liver cancer and why is it so deadly
Q2 What are the specific risk factors for liver cancer?
Q3 What are some ways to help prevent liver cancer and hepatitis?
Q4 What can be done to help prevent liver cancer for people living with chronic hepatitis B or C?
Q5 What are the health disparities related to liver cancer and viral hepatitis?
Q6 What can we do to raise awareness of viral hepatitis and liver cancer?
Q7 What additional resources are available to learn more about viral hepatitis and liver cancer?

Join the conversation with the hashtag #Liverchat

Confirmed participants and handles for the chat include:

  • Hepatitis B Foundation – @hepbfoundation
  • National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable – @NVHR1
  • Dr. Robert Gish – tweeting from @LiverCancerConn
  • CDC’s, Division of Viral Hepatitis – @cdchep
  • CDC National Prevention Information Network – @CDCNPIN
  • Hep B United – @HepBUnited
  • American Liver Foundation –  @liverUSA
  • Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations – @HepBPolicy
  • Latino Commission on AIDS – @LatinoCommAIDS
  • Charles B Wang Community Health Center – @CBWCHC
  • Caring Ambassadors – @CAP_HepatitisC
  • Coalition Against Hepatitis For People of African Origin – @CHIPO_HBV
  • National Black Leadership Coalition on AIDS – @NBLCA
  • National Association of County & City Health Officials – @NACCHOalerts
  • Asian Health Coalition – @AAPInews
  • Asian American Community Health – @apcaaz
  • International Community Health Services – @supportichs
  • Prevent Cancer Foundation – @PreventCancer
  • Hep B United Philadelphia – @HepBUnitedPhila
  • Hep Free NYC – @HepFreeNYC

We’d love to hear from you at info@hepb.org if you plan to participate or have any questions about joining!

 

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Liver Cancer, Living with Hepatitis B

Get Tested for Liver Cancer, Your Life May Depend on It

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Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

October is Liver Cancer Awareness Month. It may be a sleeper of a event when compared to other health campaigns, but for us who live with viral hepatitis, it’s an uncomfortable but critical reminder of the importance of monitoring our liver health to prevent cancer.

Viral hepatitis, especially B and C, are viral infections that can cause liver cancer  (also called hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC.) Researchers are still studying why some people are more prone to liver cancer, but we who live with chronic hepatitis B or C have a 25 to 40 percent lifetime risk of developing liver cancer. The infection, which hijacks our liver cells to manufacture more virus, causes inflammation, scarring and even cancer as the liver cells grow out of control.

The longer we are infected with viral hepatitis, the higher our risk of developing liver cancer. While liver cancer often occurs in people with cirrhosis (severe liver scarring), some of us develop cancer without cirrhosis. Continue reading "Get Tested for Liver Cancer, Your Life May Depend on It" →

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Liver Cancer, Living with Hepatitis B

When Is That Pain Hep B-related and When Is It Something Else?

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Image courtesy of Ohmega1982 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of Ohmega1982 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When people with chronic hepatitis B experience abdominal pain, we often wonder if it’s related to our liver and if our hepatitis B is getting worse.

According to experts, hepatitis B rarely causes abdominal pain. Here are some insights to help you understand what might be behind your abdominal pain when you live with chronic hepatitis B.

First, it’s not called the silent infection for nothing. When first infected, most children and nearly 70 percent of adults never experience any direct symptoms from hepatitis B. When people do have symptoms, such as aches, nausea and fever, they usually last for only a few days. Only a very small percentage have symptoms that persist long-term. Continue reading "When Is That Pain Hep B-related and When Is It Something Else?" →

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Liver Cancer, Living with Hepatitis B

Growing Older with Hepatitis B: Why Testing for Liver Damage Still Matters

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Image courtesy of Witthaya Phonsawat at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of Witthaya Phonsawat at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Around the world, older adults bear the greatest burden of hepatitis B. Born before the childhood vaccination became available, about 4.7 percent of U.S. adults over age 50 have been infected and their chronic hepatitis B rate is nearly two-fold higher than in younger adults.

The 50-plus generation has lived with with chronic hepatitis B for decades, and over time their risk of liver damage, cirrhosis, and cancer has steadily increased. That is why it is very important that older adults living with this infection see their physicians regularly and have tests for liver damage and cancer performed as needed. Continue reading "Growing Older with Hepatitis B: Why Testing for Liver Damage Still Matters" →

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Liver Cancer, Living with Hepatitis B

Summertime Strategies to Protect Your Liver: Enjoy a Dose of Sunlight and Vitamin D

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Grace Wong, associate professor of gastroenterology and hepatology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Grace Wong, associate professor of gastroenterology and hepatology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Catching 15 minutes of sunlight three times a week and drinking water instead of sugary drinks are two of the easiest and most natural ways to protect against liver cancer and other types of liver damage when you live with hepatitis B.

Sunlight doesn’t cure hepatitis B, but it spurs production of vitamin D, which appears to help prevent a number of cancers and other liver problems.

The liver appears to play a vital role in metabolizing vitamin D, and when you have healthy vitamin D levels, your body’s cells behave and grow normally. But when you have a vitamin D deficiency, communication between your cells breaks down, which can lead to abnormal cell growth and cancer. Continue reading "Summertime Strategies to Protect Your Liver: Enjoy a Dose of Sunlight and Vitamin D" →

Hepatitis B Treatment, Liver Cancer

Updates in Hepatitis B-related Liver Cancer Care

Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

While liver cancer cases continue to climb in the U.S., so has the medical community’s ability to care for hepatitis B patients affected by liver cancer. Here are some updates and reminders to help you talk to your doctor and get the best care possible. Continue reading "Updates in Hepatitis B-related Liver Cancer Care" →

Hepatitis B Treatment, Liver Cancer

HBV Journal Review – June 2015

ChrisKHBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored:

  • HBV Liver Cancer Requires Aggressive Treatment from the Start
  • Experts: Treat Cirrhotic Patients, Even if Viral Load Is Low
  • Some Patients Can Safely Stop Antiviral After Four Years
  • Tenofovir Safe and Effective in Pregnant Women with Drug Resistance
  • Researchers Discover Why Children Become Chronically Infected
  • Expert Recommends Treatment for Mental Confusion from Cirrhosis
  • Antivirals Increase Survival After Liver Cancer Treatment
  • HBV Patients with Diabetes Have a Higher Risk of Liver Cancer
  • Long-term Antiviral Use Increases Hip Fracture Rates Slightly
  • Second Vaccine Series May Be Needed for Children with Celiac Disease
  • Researchers Find HBV B Strain in Cuba Did Not Come from Africa

Continue reading "HBV Journal Review – June 2015" →

Baruch S. Blumberg Institute