Liver Cancer Update

CDC data show increasing rate of hepatocellular carcinoma in the US.
The CNN (5/7, Bixler) "Paging Dr. Gupta" blog reports that a new CDC study "finds the most common form of liver cancer is on the rise. According to the May 5th Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, rates of hepatocellular carcinoma...in the United States increased from 2.7 cases per 100,000 people in 2001 to 3.2 cases per 100,000 people in 2006." The data also indicate that "untreated hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections are responsible for about 78 percent of global HCC cases." CNN adds, "One reason may be the legacy of the Vietnam War. 'Many veterans contracted it through exposure to blood and body fluids,' says Dr Otis Brawley, Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society and CNN.com Health contributor."