Analytical epidemiology of primary liver carcinoma in the Pacific Basin.

In the Pacific Basin, the hepatitis B virus is closely associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in its geographic distribution and familial clustering, and its presence in liver tissues. The contribution of aflatoxin to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in different regions varies from negligible to probably major. Neither the hepatitis B virus nor aflatoxin can account for the varied epidemiology of hepatocarcinogenesis in the Pacific Basin. Many potential carcinogens for the liver have been identified in food, drugs, industrial chemicals, and in the general environment, but their importance in hepatocarcinogenesis remains to be defined.