Gastrointestinal tract cancer in association with hepatitis and HIV infection.

One hundred and fifty patients with histologically proven gastrointestinal tract (GIT) cancer, 150 patients with a variety of other malignancies and 150 normal subjects were screened for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B sero-markers. Only one patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma proved to be HIV seropositive. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was detected in 18% (n = 26) of the GIT cancer patients, in 16% (n = 24) of the other cancers group and in 12% (n = 20) of the control. There was no significant difference between the three groups (P > 0.1). The HBsAg was detected mainly in patients with primary hepatocellular (25%), gastric (12%), rectal (10%) and colonic carcinoma (8%). Hepatitis B core antibody (HBc AB) was detected in 12% of the GIT cancer patients, in 11% of the other cancers patients and in 13% of the control. In this study, there was no association between HIV, hepatitis B infections and GIT cancer.