Liver cancer incidence and mortality have been increasing in the United States since 1980. Reasons for the increases are not clear. Known risk factors include chronic infections with hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus, excessive consumption of alcohol, certain rare metabolic disorders (e.g., hemochromatosis), diabetes and obesity. Whether these factors explain liver cancer in the U.S. has not been adequately examined. As a result, investigators in DCEG are conducting a liver cancer pooling project among existing U.S. cohorts in order to explore liver cancer etiology in a prospective manner. Cohorts are contributing questionnaire data and serum samples to this effort. As liver cancer remains a rare disease, despite the increasing incidence, additional U.S. cohorts are being sought to participate in this investigation.
For more information, contact Katherine McGlynn.