Hepatocellular cancer: Unpreventable complication of chronic Hepatitis B viral infection.

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ABSTRACT:

Chronic hepatitis b virus (HBV) infection is a global public health threat with over 2 billion people been infected with the virus (one out of three people), about 1.5 million are newly infected each year and almost 300 million people chronically infected. An estimated 820,000 people die each year from hepatitis B related complications such as liver cancer.

It was observed that despite treatment with potent Nuleo(s)tide Analogue and Pegylated Interferon-alpha as recommended by various guidelines, chronically infected patients still developed the major complication of Hepatocellular cancer.

In this case series, we were able to obtain comprehensive record of four cases managed at private facility in Kano, Nigeria, who without significant risk factors for HCC other than CHB  and developed HCC despite aggressive management with potent NAs and/or PEGINF-α. The implication of this is that, are our guidelines sufficient to prevent this scourge of HCC or there is need for a better curative measures for the management of CHB.