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Did You Know? Video Series
from the National Cancer Institute-
Hepatitis and Liver Cancer
Did you know that chronic hepatitis B and
C virus infections can cause liver cancer?
The good news is that there is a vaccine to
prevent hepatitis B virus infection and there are
effective treatment options for hepatitis C virus infection.
Chronic infection with hepatitis B and C viruses can cause
inflammation, or swelling, of the liver.
Long term damage to the liver from these viruses can increase
the risk of liver cancer.
Hepatitis B and C viruses can be passed from person to person
through blood, other bodily fluids, or sexual contact.
A newborn may get infected with hepatitis B virus from
its mother if she is infected.
Although hepatitis B and C virus infections are
contagious diseases, liver cancer is not.
The hepatitis B vaccine can reduce
your risk of liver cancer.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC,
recommends infants receive the vaccine, as should at-risk
adults who have not had hepatitis B virus infection or
the hepatitis B vaccine.
There is no vaccine currently available for
hepatitis C virus.
Americans born between 1945 and 1965 are
five times more likely to have a hepatitis C virus infection
than are other adults.
That’s why the CDC recommends that anyone born during
this time get tested for the virus.
In 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration approved
the use of two new antiviral drugs to treat
chronic Hepatitis C infection, and there are now several
treatment options available.
Early diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C virus infection
can reduce your risk of liver cancer.
New diagnoses of liver cancer are highest among
American Indians and Alaska Natives, followed by
Asians and Pacific Islanders and Hispanics.
In all racial and ethnic groups, new diagnoses of
liver cancer are twice as high in men
as they are in women.
Rates of new liver cancer diagnoses for all races and
ethnicities increase with age, with some variation among
racial and ethnic groups.
For example, in recent years, new diagnosis rates among blacks
showed a peak at ages 60 to 64 and then decreased among
persons older than 64.
In contrast, diagnosis rates among American Indians and
Alaska Natives showed a peak among persons aged 55 to 59,
followed by a slight decline among persons aged 60 to 64,
and then an increase until ages 80 to 84.
In addition to chronic viral hepatitis infections,
other important risk factors for liver cancer include:
•Heavy alcohol use
•Diabetes
•Obesity, and
•Metabolic syndrome
Talk with your doctor about treatment options for
hepatitis B and C virus infections and other ways to
reduce your risk for cancer.
Each year the National Cancer Institute,
American Cancer Society,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and
the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries
collaborate to provide updated information on
cancer in the United States.
This year’s Annual Report to the Nation highlights the
increasing burden of liver cancer and emphasizes efforts to
prevent, identify and treat chronic hepatitis B and
C viral infections and other key risk factors for liver cancer.
For more information on hepatitis B vaccine and
treatment options for viral hepatitis B and C infection,
visit cdc.gov/hepatitis
For more information on liver cancer, visit cancer.gov or
call 1-800-4-Cancer.
For more information on the Annual Report to the Nation and
more cancer statistics, go to seer.cancer.gov
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