Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are highly contagious blood borne viruses that cause liver disease, liver cancer, and premature death. Chronic hepatitis B is treatable when detected early and properly managed. In about 50% of the cases, chronic hepatitis C can be cured.
It is estimated that 2,000,000,000 people worldwide have been infected with the hepatitis B virus, 400 million chronically. Approximately 170 million people worldwide are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus. An estimated 5.3 million people living in the United States are infected with either hepatitis B or hepatitis C; tragically more than half are unaware of their status.
Overwhelming majority of the liver cancers is the hepatocarcinoma (or hepatoma). Most hepatoma developed from a cirrhotic liver, which is a liver damaged by repeated inflammation by many causes among them viral hepatitis. Viral hepatitis B & C accounts for more than 80% of all the liver cancers. Hepatitis B virus is unique because hepatoma may develop from a fairly healthy liver without much cirrhosis. About 30-50% of hepatoma from Hepatitis B viral infection developed from a non cirrhotic liver. In Asia, 80% of the liver cancer is from the hepatitis B infection.
— Gish RG, Gadano AC. J Viral Hepat. 2006; 13:787-798.— Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. 2007 Physician's Guide to Hepatitis B: A Silent Killer. Accessed online October 4, 2007.
— Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. Hepatitis B in Asian-Americans. Accessed online October 15, 2007.
