Hepatitis C antibody and cryoglobulins in patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE

To assess: (1) the role of hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and alcoholism as risk factors for hepatocarcinoma (HCC) in patients with liver cirrhosis, and (2) the presence of cryoglobulins in HCV + patients with and without HCC.

PATIENTS

82 cirrhotic patients, 41 with and 41 without HCC, who were admitted consecutively to our General Medicine Division from January 1992 to June 1994, were studied.

RESULTS

The prevalence of HBV markers, anti-HCV and alcoholism in patients with liver cirrhosis and HCC was 39%, 63.4% and 24%, and in cirrhotics without HCC it was 31.7%, 51.2% and 63.4%, respectively. Cryoglobulins were present in 87.5% of the patients with HCC (78.5% anti-HCV +) and in 57.8% of the patients without HCC (81.8% anti-HCV +). The cryoglobulins, as characterized in 11 cases, were type III in nine cases and type II in two.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with cirrhosis, especially when associated with HCV and HBV infection, are at high risk for HCC and therefore require careful follow-up. Moreover, a strong association between HCV and the cryoglobulins in cirrhotics with and without HCC was evident, thus supporting the possible role of this virus in stimulating lymphocytes to produce cryoglobulins.