As doctors, we do find that liver cancer runs in families, with 4 or 5 patients in a family suffering from liver cancer, and such cases are often reported in medical journals. So, can liver cancer be hereditary or not? In this regard, we have reviewed the latest literature at home and abroad, and we would like to give you an explanation. As to whether liver cancer is a hereditary disease, experts at home and abroad have basically reached a consensus that liver cancer is a polygenic hereditary disease and its occurrence is the result of the combination of genetic factors and environmental factors. In other words, genetic factors are the basis, which determines the body’s susceptibility to tumor; environmental factors are the causative factors, which contribute to the occurrence of liver cancer. It has been found that genetic polymorphisms of some genes related to immunity, inflammation, DNA repair, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and detoxification of carcinogenic compounds and alcohol metabolism are closely related to the susceptibility of liver cancer. For example, the liver is an important detoxification organ in the human body. Some people have a strong ability to degrade carcinogenic agents and accumulate less in their bodies, while others have a poor ability to detoxify and accumulate more, i.e. polymorphism of enzymes for human toxic metabolism. It determines the different susceptibility of individuals to chemical carcinogens and mutagens in the environment, which leads to different susceptibility to tumors. Epidemiological statistics show that areas where hepatitis B is prevalent are often also areas with a high incidence of liver cancer. People who have had hepatitis B do have a higher chance of developing liver cancer than those who have not, and this risk is as much as 10.7 times higher ……>>What are the groups of people with high incidence of liver cancer? The main reasons we see family clustering of liver cancer are: People in the same family have similar genetic characteristics and are more likely to have the same liver cancer susceptibility genes. This leads to similar susceptibility to liver cancer in the same family, especially in the immediate family. Epidemiological surveys have also found that immediate family members of liver cancer patients are significantly more likely to develop liver cancer than the general population. The nature of vertical and horizontal transmission of hepatitis B leads to family clustering of hepatitis B patients. Mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B (i.e., vertical transmission) results in transmission of the virus from a mother infected with the hepatitis B virus to the next generation during or after childbirth. Hepatitis B is a body fluid transmitted disease, and close contact among family members makes their incidence of hepatitis B much higher than that of the general population. Patients with hepatitis B-associated liver cancer are also frequently found clinically to have multiple parents, siblings and children who are hepatitis B patients. It is recognized worldwide that hepatitis B can lead to liver cancer, i.e., the “hepatitis B – cirrhosis – liver cancer” trilogy. The family aggregation of hepatitis B leads to the family aggregation of liver cancer to a certain extent. The same family has the same living environment and eating habits.