Risk Factors
What Is a Risk Factor?
A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. The risk factors do not always directly cause cancer. Some people may have several risk factors but never develop cancer, while other people who have no known risk factors do develop cancer. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance of developing cancer.
Knowing your risk factors and discussing them with your health care provider may help you make more informed lifestyle and health care choices to reduce your risk of cancer.
What Are the Risk Factors for Liver Cancer?
The most common risk factor for liver cancer globally is chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus. Approximately 15%–25% of people with chronic infection develop chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer1,2,3. The risk of a person with chronic hepatitis B developing liver cancer can be greater than the risk of a heavy smoker dying from lung cancer4.
In the United States, chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus is the leading cause of liver cancer because of the greater number of Americans infected with this virus. It is chronic hepatitis B infections, however, that cause at least 54% of all liver cancer worldwide.
Additional risk factors for developing liver cancer include cirrhosis, excessive alcohol use and smoking, as well as obesity and diabetes. Some inherited diseases that cause liver damage also increase the risk of liver cancer. Race, ethnicity and a family history of liver cancer are known risk factors as well. Liver cancer is more common among men than women regardless of race or ethnicity.
- Beasley RP, Lin CC, Hwang LY, Chien CS. Hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis B virus. A prospective study of 22 707 men in Taiwan. Lancet 1981;318:1129–33.
- Goldstein ST, Zhou F, Hadler SC, Bell BP, Mast EE, Margolis HS. A mathematical model to estimate global hepatitis B disease burden and vaccination impact. Int J Epidemiol 2005;34:1329–39.
- McMahon BJ, Alberts SR, Wainwright RB, Bulkow L, Lanier AP. Hepatitis B-related sequelae. Prospective study in 1400 hepatitis B surface antigen-positive Alaska native carriers. Arch Intern Med 1990;150:1051–4.
- Iloeje UH, Yang HI, Jen CL, SU J, Wang LY, You SL, Chen CJ. Risk and predictors of mortality associated with chronic hepatitis B infection. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2007; 5(8):921-931.