Hepatic steatosis is a risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, researchers said in a recent issue of the journal Oncology. Hepatic steatosis is one of the histopathological features of chronic hepatitis C. Recent studies have shown that expression of hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein in mice induces hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with steatosis. In this study, Japanese researchers explored the relationship between hepatic steatosis and hepatic tumorigenesis in patients with chronic HCV infection. The research team evaluated 161 patients with chronic HCV infection diagnosed at Nagasaki University Hospital in Japan between 1980 and 1999. They evaluated the significance of a range of indicators in the development of HCC. These indicators included age, sex, body mass index (BMI), regular alcohol consumption, diabetes, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, HCV serotype, serum levels of HCV core protein, interferon (IFN) therapy, liver inflammatory fibrosis, and liver steatosis. The researchers found that the 5-, 10-, and 15-year cumulative incidence of HCC was 24%, 51%, and 63%, respectively. They confirmed that hepatic steatosis, age, cirrhosis and untreated IFN were risk factors for HCC. They also found that hepatic steatosis was associated with BMI, serum ALT levels and triglyceride levels. According to Dr. Kazuyuki Ohata, “These findings suggest that hepatic steatosis is a risk factor for the development of HCC in patients with chronic HCV infection.” “Patients with chronic hepatitis C who develop hepatic steatosis should be carefully monitored for HCC.”