HEPATIC VIRUSES AND THEIR ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA: A CLINICAL STUDY OF 190 PATIENTS

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections representing its major etiological factors. Aim: To evaluate the etiological, demographic, and clinical characteristics of patients with HCC and to compare patients with HCC alone and HCC associated with liver cirrhosis. Materials and methods: This retrospective study included 190 patients diagnosed with HCC over a 10-year period. Demographic data, age at disease onset, etiology, comorbidities, lifestyle-related risk factors, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Comparisons between groups were performed using Student's t-test and Pearson's χ² test. Results: The mean age at disease onset was 56.2 ± 13.7 years, with no significant differences according to sex (p = 0.820) or disease group (p = 0.839). HCV infection was the most frequent etiology (33.2%), followed by toxic hepatitis (26.8%) and chronic HBV infection (15.3%). Hypertension (22.6%), obesity (35.3%), smoking (44.2%), and alcohol consumption (30.0%) were common. Patients with HCC associated with cirrhosis reported significantly higher alcohol consumption than those with HCC alone (41.3% vs. 21.8%; p = 0.004), while smoking reached the threshold of statistical significance (52.5% vs. 38.2%; p = 0.050). During the 10-year follow-up, 25 deaths (13.2%) were recorded. Conclusions: HCV remains the predominant etiological factor for HCC in the studied population. Alcohol consumption was significantly more frequent among patients with HCC associated with cirrhosis, emphasizing the importance of modifiable risk factors in HCC prevention and management.