Abstract

B. B. Ajayi, H. A. Nggada and A. E. Moses*

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been reported as one of the aetiological factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCCA). This study reports the prevalence of HCCA in patients with and without HBV in Northeast Nigeria over a period of five years. A total of 114 patients consecutively diagnosed with HCCA and tested for Hepatitis B surface Antigen (HBsAg) at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), between January 1996 and December 2000, were studied. There were 81 males and 33 females, ranging in age between 9 months and above 60 years. Of the 114 patients with HCCA, 86.8% were positive for HBsAg of which males accounted for a higher prevalence of 63.1%, while females accounted for 23.7% (2.7:1). HCCA patients from the fouth decade of life and above were observed with a higher prevalence of HBV infection. Among the HBsAg-negative patients with HCCA, no significant gender difference was observed (p > 0.05). However, 13.2% of patients with HCCA were negative for HBsAg. Viral and non-viral aetiologic factors may play a role in developing HCCA in Maiduguri.