Hepatitis B does not increase the risk of pancreatic cancer

A study by the Henry Ford Hospital has found that hepatitis B does not increase the risk of pancreatic cancer - and that only age is a factor. The findings contradict a previous study in 2008 to establish a link between pancreatic cancer and hepatitis B earlier suggested. Hepatitis B is liver inflammation caused by a viral infection.

The results of the study will be presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases annual meeting in Boston.

Using data from Henry Ford Health System, doctors looked at more than 74,000 patients have been tested for hepatitis B between 1995 and 2008. In the overall analysis, only age was noted as a significant predictor of pancreatic cancer.

"We in the incidence of pancreatic cancer in hepatitis B patients infected during a 13-year period and found that we could confirm a higher risk for people with previous exposure to hepatitis B, as previously proposed a study, "said Jeffrey Tang, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Henry Ford Hospital and lead author of the study.

"When other factors are taken into consideration - such as age, race, gender, HIV status and the presence of diabetes - only the elderly and the presence of diabetes proved significant, whereas exposure prior to hepatitis B is not an important variable. "

According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 35,000 people in the United States die of pancreatic cancer diagnosed each year 42,000 new cases. The survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer are poor.

Almost 800,000 to 1.4 million people have chronic hepatitis B infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2007, 43,000 people were newly infected are in the United States with hepatitis B, although many cases go unreported because many people have no symptoms.