Tobacco.org

Smoking Contributes to HBV-Related Liver Cancer Deaths in China 

Tobacco contributes to the toll of chronic hepatitis B in China, to the tune of 50,000 liver cancer deaths every year, according to a study published in the October 20th issue of the International Journal of Cancer.

"Liver cancer and liver cirrhosis are common causes of death in China, where chronic lifelong hepatitis B infection is a major cause of both diseases," Dr. Zhang-ming Chen, of the University of Oxford, UK, and colleagues write. To examine whether smoking is a cofactor for the development of liver cancer, they retrospectively studied the smoking habits of 36,000 adults who died from liver cancer (cases) and 17,000 who died from cirrhosis (controls). . . .

"These associations indicate that tobacco is currently responsible for about 50,000 liver cancer deaths each year in China, chiefly among men with chronic HBV infection,"

Jump to full article »