Author(s)

Daniela Sciancalepore, Maria Teresa Zingaro, Chiara Valentina Luglio, Carlo Sabbà, Nicola Napoli^*

Clinica Medica "Cesare Frugoni", Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary liver cancer with a high mortality rate. While chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections represent the leading risk factors worldwide, the spreading of metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) justifies the increasing attention on their oncogenic mechanisms. This review discusses about the main pathogenic mechanisms implicated in occurrence of HCC in presence of viral and metabolic diseases. Additionally, it points to the importance of clinical surveillance for those patients considered at risk of HCC and highlights the strategical role of serum markers, such as alfa-fetoprotein (αFP) and Protein Induced by Vitamin K Absence or Antagonist II (PIVKA-II), which, in association to a strictly instrumental follow-up, contribute to the early detection of hepatic nodules with a better prognosis for affected patients.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), Insulin Resistance (IR), Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), Intestinal Microbiota, Visceral Obesity, Alfa-Fetoprotein (αFP), Protein Induced by Vitamin K Absence or Antagonist II (PIVKA-II)

Sciancalepore, D. , Teresa Zingaro, M. , Valentina Luglio, C. , Sabbà, C. and Napoli, N. (2018) Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Known and Emerging Risk Factors. Journal of Cancer Therapy, 9, 417-437. doi: 10.4236/jct.2018.95037.