Open AccessHepatitis B virus infection and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
Author(s) -
Hai-Hua Zhou,
Jingyi Hu,
He Hu
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v20.i19.5721
Subject(s) - opisthorchis viverrini , clonorchis sinensis , hepatocellular carcinoma , primary sclerosing cholangitis , hepatitis b virus , intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma , hepatolithiasis , medicine , clonorchiasis , hepatitis b , etiology , liver fluke , intrahepatic bile ducts , bile duct , gastroenterology , immunology , pathology , virus , disease , hepatectomy , surgery , resection , helminths
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a devastating malignant tumor arising from the peripheral intrahepatic bile duct epithelium. The incidence and mortality of ICC is markedly increasing over the past two decades worldwide, though the cause for this rise in incidence is unclear, thus intensifying the search for alternative etiological agents and pathogenetic mechanisms. Hepatolithiasis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, parasitic infection (Opisthorchis viverrini or Clonorchis sinensis), fibropolycystic liver disease, and chemical carcinogen exposure are thought to be the risk factors for ICC. Nevertheless, the majority of ICC patients do not have any of these risk factors, and none of the established risk factors can explain the recent increasing trend of ICC. Therefore, identifying other risk factors may lead to the prevention and early detection of ICC. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the predominant cause of hepatocellular carcinoma in HBV-endemic areas. This review discusses the evidence implicating chronic HBV infection as a likely etiology of ICC and the pathogenetic mechanisms that might be involved.