Hepatitis-Associated Antigen and Antibody in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Results of a Continuing Study23

Tests for hepatitis-associated antigen (HAA) and antibody to HAA (anti-HAA) were done on sera from 90 Ugandan patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and 224 controls. While the frequency of anti-HAA did not differ between the 2 groups, the frequency of persistent HAA infection was significantly greater in the hepatocellular carcinoma patients than in controls. Alpha fetoprotein (AFP)-positive patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were HAA positive significantly more often than AFP-negative patients. Although the etiologic implications of these findings are speculative, the data support the hypothesis that viral hepatitis infection is a factor in the ultimate development of hepatocellular carcinoma in Ugandan patients.