Causes
Risk factors for adults developing primary liver cancer:
- Hepatitis C is the primary cause of liver cancer.
- Chronic Hepatitis B infection
- Cirrhosis
- Aflatoxin exposure
- Obesity has emerged as an important risk factor as it can lead to steatohepatitis
Risk factors for children developing primary liver cancer:
- Alagille syndrome (associated with HCC)
- Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (associated with hepatoblastoma)
- Familial adenomatous polyposis (associated with hepatoblastoma)
- Glycogen storage diseases (associated with both HCC and hepatoblastoma)
- Hepatitis B infection, associated when contracted in the perinatal period (with transmission at birth) (associated with HCC)
- Low birth weight (associated with hepatoblastoma)
- Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (associated with HCC)
- Trisomy 18, as well as other trisomies (associated with hepatoblastoma)
- Tyrosinemia (associated with HCC)
Read more about this topic: Liver Cancer