Studies of Rare Cancers

原发性肝癌包括肝细胞癌和肝内胆管细胞癌两种主要的组织学类型，是世界上第六大常见癌症，也是第二大常见的癌症死亡原因。虽然80%以上的肝癌发生在亚洲和撒哈拉以南非洲地区，但几十年来，美国和欧洲等低发病率地区的发病率一直在上升。我们的研究一直专注于确定与这种发病率增加相关的因素。根据疾病控制和预防中心(CDC)的数据，美国约25%的艾滋病毒携带者也感染了丙型肝炎病毒。同时感染艾滋病毒和丙型肝炎病毒称为艾滋病毒/丙型肝炎病毒混合感染。虽然过量饮酒和丙型肝炎病毒感染是主要的风险因素，但我们的研究发现，糖尿病和肥胖症的风险比其他因素的风险更大。为了跟进这些发现，我们在两项以美国为基础的研究中检验了这些因素的贡献。我们还在研究抗糖尿病药物、非类固醇消炎药和他汀类药物等药物是否会影响发达国家患肝癌的风险。

Primary liver cancer, composed of two major histologic types, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), is the sixth most frequently occurring cancer in the world and the second most common cause of cancer mortality. While over 80% of liver cancers occur in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, incidence has been increasing in low-rate areas, such as the U.S. and Europe, for several decades. Our research has been focusing on identifying factors associated with this increase in incidence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 25% of people with HIV in the United States also have HCV. Infection with both HIV and HCV is called HIV/HCV coinfection. While excessive alcohol consumption and hepatitis C virus infection are major risk factors, our research has found that the risk attributable to diabetes and obesity is greater than the risk attributable to other factors. To follow-up on these findings, we are examining the contributions of these factors in 2 U.S. based research studies. We are also examining whether medications such as anti-diabetic drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and statins affect the risk of liver cancer in developed countries.