Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
United Press International - November 3, 2009
Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit say their study of more than 74,000 patients contradicts a previous study suggesting a link between pancreatic cancer and previous hepatitis B infection. Hepatitis B is an inflammation of the liver caused by a viral infection.
"We looked at the incidence of pancreatic cancer among hepatitis B-infected patients over a 13-year period and found that we could not confirm a higher risk for those with a previous exposure to hepatitis B, as a prior study suggested," study lead author Dr. Jeffrey Tang says in a statement.
Tang says when other factors are considered -- such as age, race, sex, HIV status and the presence of diabetes -- only older age and presence of diabetes prove significant. However, prior exposure to hepatitis B is no longer an important variable.
The findings were presented in Boston at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases annual meeting.
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