Hepatitis B and C virus serologies among Japanese Americans with hepatocellular carcinoma

A cohort of 5924 Japanese American men was examined between 1967 and 1970 for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). By 1992, 24 incident cases of HCC were histologically confirmed in the group. Frozen serum samples from the 24 men with HCC and 72 age-matched controls were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen, antibodies to HBsAg, and antibodies to hepatitis C virus. HBsAg was detected in 15 (62.5%) of 24 HCC cases compared with 2 (2.8%) of 72 controls (odds ratio, 43.0 ; 95% confidence interval, 5.7-325.5). None of the cases and only 1 control had antibody to hepatitis C virus. This study demonstrates a strong association between hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis B virus infection, but not with hepatitis C virus infection, among men of Japanese ancestry in Hawaii.