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Liver Cancer Research in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch

Liver cancer is the sixth most commonly occurring cancer in the world and due to a very poor prognosis, the third largest contributor to cancer mortality. Liver cancer is composed of two major histologic types: hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, ~70%) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC, ~15%).  The incidence of both types increased in many countries in the past several decades. MEB investigators conduct research on a variety of factors in relationship to liver cancer including:

  • Metabolic conditions (e.g., obesity, diabetes, metabolomic syndrome, NAFLD)
  • Exogenous and endogenous hormonal exposures
  • Diet
  • Coffee
  • Cigarette smoking
  • Alcohol Consumption
  • Medications
  • Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus (HBV/HCV)
  • Aflatoxin (AFB1)
  • Metabolomics (including lipidomics, bile acids, and fatty acids)
  • Microbiome (including circulating markers of bacterial translocation)

MEB investigators are conducting liver cancer studies using the following resources:

Learn about the Liver Cancer Pooling Project (LCPP)
A pooling project of prospective cohort studies that seeks to understand the factors behind the rising incidence of HCC and ICC in the U.S.

For more information, contact Katherine McGlynn.

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