Increased Severity due to Aflatoxin in Viral Cause of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Case Control Study

Abstract

: The objective of our study was to assess the presence of aflatoxin in Hepatocellular Carcinoma patients and their severity. This case control study was conducted in the Asian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) Hyderabad and Nuclear Institute of Medicine and Radiotherapy (NIMRA) Jamshoro for the period of 02 years from March 2018 to February 2020. The calculated sample size was 218 subjects, 109 patients were diagnosed with cases of HCC (76 male and 33 female), and 109 were included as control. Control was selected from the relatives of the patients who were Viral Hepatitis-Negative. Non-probability convenience sampling was used. Majority of the cases and controls were for 40 to 49 years of age. Serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) was significantly high in 80 (73.4%) cases who were culture positive with (p=0.013). There is no association between the AG ratio and mycological culture media-positive cases. A strong correlation is observed between Viral Hepatitis infection and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Pakistan. The toxin produced by fungi has worse outcomes in patients with liver compromise especially hepatocellular carcinoma. The poor prognosis was observed in HCC and Liver Cirrhosis patients, especially in low-income countries where health services are poor. Therefore, preventive strategies need to be applied to control these toxins. Proper handling and cooking of common food and good hygiene, especially for high-risk patients, can help prevent and controlling the spread of these toxins.